ZigZag
by ReeseisLAVAhot
Summary: Sparks fly when Reese meets a female version of himself... Written with co-author Ms. C who also wrote In Bits and Pieces...and in response from a challenge from Ms. RP...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Damn it! He knew he should have zigged instead of zagged! Usually he got that right...what the hell went wrong? Was that another shot? Who else would be shooting at that car at that intersection at that exact moment? As Reese slowly picked himself up off the darkened street he checked for broken bones but found none. Good bit of road rash but that was all, all except for his vanity at being almost run over by a 'mark'. His gun was about 10 feet away where he had flung it as he was bumped by the speeding car.

Brushing off the dirt from his hands and walking toward the gun, he heard tires squeal. Turning around empty handed he was framed in the oncoming cars headlights. It was the 'mark', the perpetrator he was trying to take out. And here Reese was with no weapon and nowhere to run. Crap! He thought to himself.

At the last possible moment another squeal of tires heralded the appearance of a second car. Great, now I'm really fucked! Reese second car screeched to halt in front of him and he heard a woman's voice yell for him to get in the car. Not needing to be told twice, Reese dove through the open passenger side window as the car sped off. With his head almost in the driver's lap and his long legs sticking out the window, Reese was surprised to hear the bang, bang, bang of a gun with a silencer on it. What the hell? The driver was firing at the 'mark's' car bearing down on them. As he pulled his legs and feet into the window and righted himself in the seat, he could hear slugs hitting the driver's side of the car. His rescuer kept on firing at the oncoming car as she floored the gas petal. Moments later Reese could hear the crash of the 'mark's' car. Apparently she was an expert shot.

Speeding through the darkened streets of New York, the woman, Elise gripped the steering wheel with her right hand. Her left hand was holding her side where pain radiated out like a burning knife. However her anger kept her head clear.

"Who the HELL are you?" She almost screamed at Reese. His look of complete shock at her ferocity only made her angrier.

He countered with "Who the hell are YOU?" It was almost comical the way they glared at each other.

Elise glanced down at her left hand it was covered in blood. Damn! She thought, damn bullet came right through the door of the damn car! She took a deep breath and tried not to wince.

Reese heard what he thought was gasp but he wasn't sure enough to ask if she was alright.

"Why were you standing in the middle of street?" She asked through clenched teeth.

He countered with, "Why were you out driving in this part of town at 3am?" Neither seemed willing to give out any information to the other.

As the car careened down the street Elise realized she was going to need some help and fast. She was getting light headed and the headlights from the few on-coming cars were awfully bright. She slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. Reese kept looking over his shoulder, absolutely convinced they were being followed, but saw no other headlights.

He turned back to start in again on this obstinate woman who had saved his life, "What are you doing? Why have you stopped?" He glanced back one more time to check for a tail, "We need to get out of this area now!"'

The woman took a shaky breath and held up her left hand, covered in blood, and said "I think I've sprung a leak".

That set Reese back on his heels but only for a second. He scrambled out of his side of the car and ran around to the driver's side. When he opened the door the woman almost fell out. Grabbing her by the shoulders he carefully slid her over to the passenger side so he could get in. She was pretty much out of it by then, barely conscious of being moved. She moaned slightly when he first touched her.

Elise woke up in a fog of pain and comfort, a strange combination to be sure. Using her ears to try and get a clue as to where she was without letting anyone know she was awake didn't provide a lot of information since the only sound was silence. Slowly inhaling to test the air for scents proved equaling daunting because the air smelled of ...old books? Finally, curiosity won out and she opened her eyes.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light but slowly images took shape. A window on the right had thick drapes that blocked most of the light however around the top and the bottom was enough light to let her know it was daytime. Without moving her head, her eyes scanned over to the left. There WERE bookshelves, full bookshelves with all different kinds and sizes of books. Many looked very old with worn spines and cracked leather covers. In front of her was a desk with computer monitors on it. The lack of light from the monitors let her know they were either off or in sleep mode. So that meant no one had been using them recently.

Still listening intently for any sound, she tried to move and immediately felt the pain that had been nagging her from a back burner, come full force enough to make her gasp out loud. She grabbed her left side and moaned. The location of the pain brought back into focus the memory of just how she had been hurt. That in turn caused her to try to sit up quickly and once again the pain caused her to cry out. The cry turned into a moan as she fell back onto the bed.

Apparently she had made enough noise that someone was coming. Panting from exertion and the pain that it caused, she watched helplessly as the door swung open and a man came through. He was not a threatening figure but she was very aware of her helpless state and the fact that she had no weapons of any kind to defend herself. As he walked over to her bedside, she noticed he had a pronounced limp but his face did not register as anyone she knew. He wore glasses, had a shock of brown hair that stood straight up and sideburns, a little bit longer than what was in style these days. His clothing screamed expensive taste. The cut of the suit, the crispness of the shirt, the perfectly matched tie and vest showed an eye for style and high end taste.

"Glad to see you are finally back with us. My name is Mr. Finch. You gave us quite a scare." Pushing his glasses back up on his nose, he began checking the IV flow on the bottle hanging next to her bed. "You had lost quite a bit of blood before you let our mutual friend know that you had been injured." He chided.

"Mutual friend?" She asked warily.

"Yes, the man you saved with your timely appearance." Walking around the desk he turned on the monitors and waited for them to come out of sleep mode. "If you had not been there at that exact moment, I don't think Mr. Reese would be alive now."

"Reese? Do you mean John Reese?" She asked with gritted teeth. She was still trying to sit up on the bed. It didn't feel right to be having this kind of conversation lying down on her back.

"Use the remote. It's by your right hand. It'll be much easier for you to just raise the head of the bed." Mr. Finch said, never looking up from the monitors. "Yes, Mr. Reese is an associate of mine. We work together." Continued Mr. Finch. Keeping his head down, he used his eyes to look over the top of the monitors to judge his patient's reaction. "How do you know Mr. Reese? He didn't seem to recognize you."

Ignoring Mr. Finch's question, Elise exclaimed, "You! You're the voice in his ear aren't you!" She gasped. Lying back, she let the electric bed bring her head up to a level that made her feel more secure, less helpless than flat on her back.

"I must confess to that charge." Sighed Mr. Finch as he stood up slowly from the desk. He walked back around to stand by her bedside. Taking a closer look at her, he was pleased with what he saw. Her color was good, her heart rate, temperature and breathing rate were all normal.

"Is there anyone I need to contact for you, Ms...?"

Elise looked at Finch and weighed the pros and cons of giving him her name. He seemed harmless enough. Normally, she was physically afraid of no one. She could handle herself very well in a fight, thank you. Her diminutive size always worked in her favor. No one saw her as a threat, at least not until she had them on the floor with a gun barrel pushing up under their chin. But she was injured, shot. She knew she'd lost a good bit of blood in the car and the pain was barely masked by the painkillers so he'd probably give her a little bit of a problem if she made a move to get out of there.

She looked around to take in exactly where she was. There were bookcases filled with books everywhere she looked. The area where the hospital bed was located was just off center but against a wall. There were cabinets with glass doors near the bed. As best she could tell, they were fully stocked with all sorts of medical supplies, gauze, medical tape, bandages, bottles of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. The top shelf had what looked like a sterilizer for medical instruments. Next to that was a refrigerator. Looking up at the IV bottle above her head, she assumed that it was full of saline solution and other things. It looked like a pretty complete hospital room, but in a library? She wondered who had needed the room before her?

Mr. Finch had quietly sat down and logged on to one of the computers, all the while watching her over the top of the monitor. He watched her take in her surroundings. He knew she was trying to decide if he was a threat or not and if so, how much of one. She missed very little. He could almost read her mind as she took things in, evaluated them, checked them off her list as of no use at this time or filed away for later perusal. Her intense concentration did not include forgetting he was in the room. He moved the mouse with almost no sound but her eyes immediately found him and he felt a small chill with the measuring look he saw in them. She reminded him of someone….. ah, Mr. Reese! She had the same air of calm but extreme control that could change abruptly if a threat appeared. She obviously was not as relaxed as she appeared.

Elise made her decision and she finally answered him. "My name is Elise, Elise Tate."

Finch immediately typed her name into his computer and Elise spoke again. "You won't find me in there. I don't exist."

Pushing back from his monitor Finch looked as Elise. "Well Ms. Tate, you'll have to fill me in at a later date about how you don't exist and yet here you are. Now back to my original question, is there someone we should contact for you?"

Elise leaned back on the pillow with a small groan and looked over at Finch and cocked one eyebrow. "You can call Zoe Morgan".

"Ms. Morgan? Ah! That would explain how you knew about and Mr. Reese and I." Elise was impressed how quickly Finch put that together and how easily he covered his surprise.

"I'll be glad to give her a call for you. Do you feel able to leave here today? You are more than welcome to stay longer if you have a need. I would assume that since you 'don't exist' you probably would prefer to not go to a hospital."

Looking around one more time at the well stocked medical supplies and again wondering how they came to be set up in a library, she let out a sigh and said "I'll mend a lot faster back on my own turf but thanks for keeping my injury quiet. I try to keep off police radar if at all possible."

Damn! Thought Elise to herself a minute later, I must be worse off than I thought. I'm so tired after just TALKING to that man. I can hardly keep my eyes open. I wonder what happened to that Reese guy?

After watching Elise fall asleep, Finch was again surprised at the young woman lying on the bed. She was correct about not being able to find anything on her. When he did his initial search for information on her, it came back with three names but the ages and descriptions were definitely NOT her. She had no wallet or pocketbook with her when Reese had brought her in. Her cell phone was a burner phone and provided no useful information. Finding information about her was certainly going to be an interesting challenge!

Before he placed the call, Finch debated with himself about whether he should tell Ms. Morgan where they were. No one knew about the library but himself and Reese, the fewer the better. But he and Reese had worked with Ms. Morgan a few times and he felt she was more than able and willing to keep their whereabouts secret. So he decided he was willing to take that leap and tell Ms. Morgan where to come and get Ms. Tate. After exchanging pleasantries on the phone, he informed Ms. Morgan about Elise and her whereabouts along with her condition.

Ms. Morgan handled the news that Ms. Tate had been shot better than he thought she would. He could hear the concern in her voice but not any surprise. That alone piqued his interest in just what kind of relationship the women had.

"Ms. Morgan, forgive me for invading Ms. Tate's and your privacy but I feel that for all our safety, I need to be a bit more familiar with Ms. Tate's background. I can spend time the researching her identity, but I'd rather hear it from you."

Zoe sighed. She knew Harold was as good as his word and could find out all manner of things about Elise, things that she might or might not want known. No, it was better if she told Harold the story, thereby controlling the details that he knew about Elise's life.

"Elise was part of a highly trained, exclusive HRT team in Los Angeles until two years ago."

"A hostage recovery team?" Finch clarified.

"Exactly. From what she has told me, the training was very intense, almost para-military as they were to be deployed not only around the country, but possibly as an auxiliary force to the Marines. That part was still in the formative stage when Elise was part of the team. Each member was paired with another in order to make sure that no one person was alone and exposed to the increased level of danger they encountered. Elise was paired with a team-mate named Tim. The two of them were very close. She was more often at his house than her own. His wife and kids considered her part of the family.

And then one day, they were called out to a hostage situation where ten men, that were part of a militia group, were holding a bunch of women and children hostage on a city bus. The men were threatening to blow up the bus and everyone on it if their leader wasn't released from jail. Well, it turns out that they had a sympathizer on the HRT team and that member deliberately ignored the order to take out the man with the trigger device. The bus exploded, killing everyone on it including Elise's partner Tim who had been approaching the bus from the rear where there were no windows. He had no idea what was going on until it was too late. Elise herself was badly injured and spent four months in re-hab. She testified at the trial of the former team member and it was based on her testimony that the man was convicted and sentenced for murder. Elise told me that after that, she could never trust anyone else with her life. She left the team and Los Angeles altogether and ended up here in New York."

Harold could hear the smile in Ms. Morgan's voice as she described how the two of them had met. "I was questioning some low-life about what he had overheard about a conversation between my client and another man, when he pulled out a gun and threatened me. Next thing I knew, some woman came up and disarmed that jerk and handed me the gun. I thanked her and after getting what I had come for from the guy, I asked the woman if she would have dinner with me so that I could thank her for intervening and saving my life. Once I found out about Elise's skill set, I decided that it would help to have someone with a bit more military training working with me and we hammered out an agreement. We agreed that she needed to change her name to protect her parents and as far as I can tell, she has been happy with our arrangements especially since she doesn't have to rely on anyone else to have her back."

"A very independent and dangerous young woman. Sort of reminds me of someone else we know." Harold said.

Zoe chuckled. "Yes they are like two heads of the same coin aren't they? Speaking of which, how is John?"

"Grateful to for saving his life of course. Other than that, you know Mr. Reese." Harold replied.

"Yes, I do and the man still owes me a drink. Perhaps I'll be able to collect on that once I get Elise settled. I'll be by to pick her up in an hour. I need to make some arrangements for her care."

"There is no rush, Ms. Morgan. She is welcome to stay for as long as she needs to."

"Thanks, Harold. I'll see you soon." And she hung up.

About half an hour later, Reese came into the library and his eyes went immediately to the woman lying on the bed. She looked so peaceful and vulnerable lying there. He remembered several times where he had been in her shoes. Shot and having to rely on someone else for the most basic care. He wondered if she would like it any more than he had and then snorted remembering how angry and demanding she had been when questioning him in her car. Just remembering the incident had him frowning and angry again. What had the crazy woman been thinking, getting in between him and a car barreling down on him, its driver pointing a gun at him! He shook his head and walked over to where Finch was sitting at the computer, a strange look on his face as he watched Reese and the woman, whoever she was.

"What are you grinning about Finch? Did you just buy some new suits?" Reese said half jokingly, still a bit angry over what had happened to the woman on the bed.

"No, Mr. Reese, I was just thinking about how grouchy you were when recovering from the gunshots Snow gave you. From what Ms. Morgan has told me and my own observations of Ms. Tate over there, she will not be reacting any better than you did."

Reese raised his eyebrow at the mention of Zoe Morgan. "And just what does Zoe have to do with all of this Finch or are you being deliberately secretive again?"

"It's simple Mr. Reese, Ms. Morgan and your Ms. Tate work together, much like you and I, I suppose."

Reese frowned. "She is not MY Ms. Tate, Finch."

"You've got that right, buddy!" They both heard from the occupant of the bed. Turning to look at her, Reese returned the frown he saw on her face. The woman was so ungrateful for the medical care he and Finch had given her! And yet he couldn't help but notice that even while sick and pale, she was still a beautiful woman. Wait, where did that thought come from? Reese berated himself for making the observation. He had no right to be thinking about her that way!

Elise saw the intense look and frown that Reese gave her and thought, the man could at least be a more gracious a host. After all I saved his life and look what I got in return! She and Reese stood there glaring at each other until suddenly Reese's expression softened.

"I'm sorry Ms. Tate, I've forgotten how bad it feels having to lay in the same bed and wait to heal. Tends to make people cranky."

Oh my! Elise sucked in her breath as she noticed how handsome Reese was now that he wasn't scowling at her. The observation made her angry. She shouldn't be thinking about the man that way! Her anger came out in her reply, "I am NOT cranky!"

Reese gave her a smirk and chuckled. Elise couldn't help but smile back at the irritating man and the two of them ended up laughing.

"Oh!" Elise grabbed her side as the pain shot through her.

Reese was by the bed in an instant. "Are you alright….." He paused waiting for her to supply her first name. He'd darned if he was going to keep calling her Ms. Tate!

"NO, obviously I'm not! And it's Elise." She forced out through her clenched teeth.

"Here, let me see how the stitches are holding." Reese said, lifting the loose shirt up and away from her side.

Elise blushed and slapped his hand away. "I'm fine!" She snapped.

Reese let out the breath he had been holding since he had heard her gasp in pain. "One minute you're fine, the next you're not. Make up your mind Elise."

"Oh bother! Just leave me alone!" She spoke quickly, trying to ignore the thrill she felt when he said her name.

"No, I don't think I will. I've already stitched you up once, I don't want to do it again just because you can't take care of this set!" Elise blushed even deeper when the impact of his words hit her. He must have seen her without a shirt on if he was the one that had sewn her up. Oh, why couldn't it have been Finch that had done it? She felt his warm, gentle hands at her side, probing the edges of the wound. Just then, Zoe walked into the room. She saw Elise with her shirt up and John bending down over her and the look she shot Elise had the other woman blushing an even deeper red. Elise put her hand on Reese's shoulder and weakly tried to push him away.

"I'm almost done Elise! Hang on, you'll feel much better after this." Reese answered from under her shirt. Elise wished the ground would swallow her up right then and there!

"Ok, that'll do, I just loosened a stitch, It shouldn't pull as much now." Reese said straightening up. He noticed Zoe behind them, watching.

"Hi, Zoe. I take it you're here for Elise?" Reese frowned, part of him wishing that Elise would stay here where he could keep an eye on her… wound. Yes, he wanted to make sure her wound healed properly, he told himself.

It was Zoe's turn to frown. So John and Elise were on a first name basis? Hm, perhaps she ought to press the issue of that drink he owed her.

"Hello, Ms. Morgan." Finch said, approaching from over near the computers. "I've put together a bunch of supplies for you and Ms. Tate, including a very high strength antibiotic." Finch handed a large duffel bag to Zoe and then walked over to the bed. "Ms. Tate, it's been a pleasure meeting you. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to call. We owe you a huge debt for saving Mr. Reese's life."

Elise colored at the offer and gave Finch a huge smile. Now why couldn't that infuriating man have shown a little gratitude like this? "Thank you Mr. Finch for your help and hospitality. I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it and call me Harold please."

While this conversation was going on, Zoe took the opportunity to quietly ask John, "Hey there! What about that drink you owe me? I'd like to collect, say a week from today?"

"Yeah, sure Zoe, whatever you want." Reese replied, distracted and trying to overhear Finch and Elise's conversation, one that was making the woman smile a sweet smile at Finch.

"Great!" Zoe exclaimed. "I'll meet you at Kosta's on 44th street at say, 8pm?"

"Wait, what?" Reese realized that he had just made plans to meet Zoe for a drink, a situation he had planned on never being in. Well, it was too late to back out now. Served him right anyway for letting himself get distracted by anyone, much less that aggravating woman. "Um, yeah, sure. Eight will be fine."

"Mr. Reese?" Finch called from Elise's bedside. "There is no point in putting Ms. Tate in a wheelchair with all these stairs. Can you carry her down to Ms. Morgan's car?"

"What? No! I don't need…."

Reese was already at her side and removing her covers. "Elise, just shut up." He growled. "Please." He added as an afterthought.

She clamped her mouth down on what she wanted to say. Besides, he and Harold were probably correct in assuming that she wouldn't be able to get down the stairs without some assistance. He swung her up in his arms.

"Glad to see you can take advice sometimes." He said looking down at her and smirking.

"Screw you, Mr. Reese!" Elise said heatedly.

"John."

"What?" she asked puzzled. She couldn't seem to think straight with those stunning blue eyes on her.

"My name is John." He stated.

"Well then screw you, JOHN." She emphasized his name as she repeated her earlier words.

"I wouldn't..." John started to say but was interrupted by Zoe.

"John, are you ready to go?" She asked. She couldn't hear what the two of them were arguing about but thought it best to get Elise to the car as soon as possible. Maybe I should get shot, she thought to herself as she saw John holding Elise. She smiled at the absurd thought and turned to Harold. "Thanks for everything Harold. Take care."

They walked out of the room and down several more corridors lined with books. "Wow," Elise commented. "You guys sure have a lot of books! I could get lost in here for days and be happy!"

"You like to read then?" John inquired.

"Yes, very much. Don't you?"

John just shrugged. "When I have the time."

"Ah, yes there is that. Is your boss as much of a slave driver as mine?" she laughed.

John smiled down at her, devastating her senses. "It's usually my idea when to keep working and when to call it a night. I suspect it's the same for you."

Elise nodded. They started to descend a large staircase and she wrapped her arms about John's neck, feeling a sense of vertigo since she wasn't walking down under her own power.

"I've got you." John spoke softly. He couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of Elise's soft body pressed up against his chest. It had been a long time, an awfully long time, since he had been in such a position and holding a woman.

Meanwhile, Elise also was enjoying being held by John. She could feel his strong arms and shoulders flexing as he carried her gently down the stairs, down a corridor and then down another set of stairs. She had to fight to keep herself from running her fingers through John's short, dark hair. She wanted to feel the difference between the soft black hair she was just barely touching with the tips of her fingers and the gray hair at his temples. Perhaps even lean down and…. Wait! What the hell was she doing thinking about him like this, again? She tensed up and then gasped at the pain.

"What is it?" John asked. "Did I jostle you? I'm sorry."

"No, it wasn't you." In order to keep her mind off John , she stared straight ahead and saw that Zoe seemed to be listening to their conversation but that she had her back ram-rod straight. She was even clicking her heels harder than normal on the marble floor. Hm, wonder what's gotten into her? Perhaps Zoe was resenting the fact that she would have to take care of her until she could get back on her feet?

They arrived at Zoe's car then and John gently set Elise down in the passenger seat. "Take care not to pull those stitches." John growled out and then quickly turned and disappeared back into the building.

Zoe got into the car and they drove towards Elise's apartment in silence.

"So, how did you come to get mixed up with John and Harold and shot no less?" Zoe finally asked.

"Well, the idiot of a man was standing in the middle of the road while…." Elise proceeded to relate the story of coming across John and as much of what she recalled afterwards.

"Normally, I'd say you were foolish for involving yourself in someone who wasn't a client, but in this case, I'm glad you did. John is always getting shot at."

"So you've told me. After the way he was standing there unarmed, I'm surprised he hasn't been killed long before now!"

"Well, John is a man of surprising skills." It seemed to Elise that Zoe was hinting at something here.

"Wait, did I hear you and him make plans for a date next week?" THAT would explain Zoe's anger Elise thought. She probably thinks I have designs on the man.

"Well not a date, exactly, but he owes me a drink. Remember I told you about the case he and I worked together?"

Elise nodded. "Well, enjoy. Personally, I'm not sure I could stand to be around him for more than five minutes. Reese was always frowning and grouchy." She tried to allay Zoe's fears. She snorted out loud. "Better you than me!"

Zoe just smiled and then said, "So, we have to get you back on your feet as soon as possible. We have business to take care of!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Zoe sat in the back corner of the restaurant, dressed in her usual sharp but understated, sexy attire. She looked calm, cool and collected but appearances can often be deceiving. She was anything BUT calm, cool and collected as she waited for John Reese. She had been looking forward to this 'date' with John for quite some time. Since meeting him months ago as her driver, she had been intrigued with the enigma that was John Reese. His distinguished good looks were certainly lovely eye candy. The gray at the temples had always been her weak spot, add in the salt and pepper hair and she was hooked.

Discovering his dry sense of humor had been a pleasant surprise as well. He gave off an air of no nonsense, all work and absolutely no play. But during the course of their time together, she was privileged to be given a glimpse or two of the twinkling in his seriously blue eyes. His deadpan delivery of lines at the most inopportune times was almost her undoing. Keeping her poise while on the 'job' had been her forte. Well, until John would toss off a line that made her almost break out of character that was! She hoped tonight would be the start of their non-professional relationship.

Trying to decide the best approach for greeting John, she finally decided to take off her jacket and have her arms bare and her feminine assets on display but in a conservative manner of course. She wanted to give only a hint of what was there while at the same time, making him want to see more. Something she hoped he would later in the evening. She folded the jacket and turned to place it on the chair next to her. When she turned back around, she jumped because John had appeared out of nowhere with two drinks in hand.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, before she caught herself. "Glad to see you could make it, I was beginning to wonder." Zoe said, as she tried to cover her momentary loss of the upper hand. She was used to being the one in control of a situation. It was what made her good at her job. But John Reese had a way of making her feel almost like she had a loose wheel on her roller skates...smooth but with an unexpected wobble now and then.

"Wonder about what Zoe? I'm only two minutes late. I would have been here on time but I had trouble deciding on what to ...uh...wear."

Zoe looked at John with one eyebrow cocked while she looked him up and down. "What? You're wearing what you always wear, a black suit with a white shirt. You have other suits? Other colored shirts?" She laughed.

"Well, as a matter of fact I do have different colors of shirts. I have different colors of white...pure white, off white, eggshell white..." purred John with a slight up-turn at the corner of his mouth. It had the desired effect and completely disarmed Zoe, preventing any further questions about what he'd been doing. He wasn't sure he wanted her to know that he and Finch had been trying to find out more about Elise. Finch was concerned about her background considering how much she knew about how they worked and where they were located. So far they had pretty much come up with nothing other than what Zoe had already told them.

Not privy to Reese's thoughts, Zoe smiled back at John and relaxed, taking a sip of her drink. "How did you know I liked vodka gimlets?" She asked with a surprised tone of voice.

"Well, I do work for Mr. Finch who is very good at finding out important details." John smiled as he took a swallow of the beer he'd brought with him to the table along with Zoe's drink. John sat back in his chair and enjoyed the view of a very attractive Zoe sitting across from him. He was a man who enjoyed beautiful women; enjoyed looking at them, but not necessarily being involved with them. He had learned that the hard way. His defenses were in place and he was pretty much ready for anything she might throw at him tonight. He enjoyed their working relationship. He respected her intellect, her instincts and that steely resolve that took care of Zoe first and foremost.

Zoe's long hair fell in waves across her shoulders, and his eyes were drawn to the smooth expanse of skin above the neckline of her dress. When he dragged his eyes back to Zoe's he saw a look there that he had never seen before. The calculating look in her eyes was softened by the smile she gave him. He felt like a boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He had almost forgotten that Zoe was a master manipulator of situations, turning almost anything everything in her favor.

Zoe forced herself to act like the mature woman she was, not the school girl, all gaga over the very attractive man across the table, that she felt like. He was doing nothing but sitting there but he had almost completely erased her plan to 'understand and get to know' the enigma that was John Reese. She was very good at her job, which was getting people to like her, trust her and eventually tell her anything she wanted to know. The fact that she knew almost nothing about John had more than piqued her normal curiosity, it had become her raison d'etre. He had such a way of answering her probing, open ended questions without actually saying or giving anything away.

John and Zoe enjoyed a relaxing dinner getting to know each other in a superficial way. Both used all their abilities to try and pull information from the other. John was more successful than Zoe. She found herself giving him more details about herself than she had given to almost anyone. Becoming wary of how penetrating his questions had been and how easily she gave him the answer he was seeking, she stopped herself in mid-sentence, sat back and smiled at him. "You're good, John Reese, you are very, very good" Respect for him grew with every topic they discussed and those were many and varied. But she felt she was no closer to learning anything important about him than she was when he first sat down.

After dinner they stood outside the restaurant making small talk. John easily deflected any advance that Zoe threw at him. She finally realized that the evening was not going to end as she had hoped, with a night cap at her place. She stepped back from John and gave him her most beguiling, come hither look then thanked him for a lovely evening.

"I look forward to the next time, John."

That caused him to raise one eyebrow and smile. He flagged down a cab and opened the door for her. A quick kiss on the cheek and he deposited her in the seat and shut the door. Zoe quickly rolled down the window and asked if he needed a ride home but he replied no, he preferred to walk.

Sitting back in the cab as it drove away, Zoe replayed the dinner 'date' in her mind and realized she had learned absolutely nothing of substance about John Reese. She had learned what music he liked, what brand of beer he liked, that he had traveled extensively and loved living in NYC, but she had learned NOTHING about John Reese the man. 'Well, there's always next time', she thought as the taxi merged with the late night traffic.

Standing there watching the taxi drive off, Reese was quite pleased with the way the night had turned out. He had enjoyed his time with Zoe and wouldn't mind having another dinner date with her. She kept him on his toes with her verbal assault and he did enjoy a challenge. But all night, while talking with Zoe and laughing, much to his consternation he had found his mind continually drifting back to her partner Elise….

Finding out information about this latest number was proving a bit more challenging than normal. Vincent Raven was a very paranoid man. He only took his own personal car back and forth to work via a route that varied every day, he appeared to be self-employed and worked alone in an office building that had some rather tight security. When Reese finally did get into the building last night, he found no personal items. It also appeared that all the man's computer files were wiped daily. This strongly argued for Vincent transporting the files back and forth from work and home and the main reason for Reese standing here contemplating something drastic.

The front door was guarded, not by a doorman but rather by a strict, no non-sense security guard. Reese had tried his usual means of getting by the man had failed miserably. He knew he didn't have much longer before Vincent would be back from his date with a Ms. Kearney. Finch was to be keeping an eye and ear on the two of them through the woman's cell phone as it appeared that Vincent never turned his on if he even had one.

Well, no help for it, if he couldn't get in the front door, he'd have to go in through a window. Luckily or un-luckily depending on your point of view, Vincent Raven's apartment had a window that backed up to the alley. While he was used to entering a place with stealth, he really hated climbing in through windows because there's a brief second, as you're getting yourself over the sill, that you're vulnerable to attack. Reese sighed, he wasn't getting in the place just standing here. He drew his gun from his waistband at the small of his back and stepped into the shadowy alley on the side of the building.

Elise gripped her Beretta and slowly eased her way along the wall, taking care to stay in the shadows. Earlier that day, she had made sure to shoot out the security lights so that her route in would be concealed. She had every confidence that they would recover the files for their client, Mr. North. It was just a matter of stealing the blackmailer's laptop. Elise shook her head, why would a man write such incriminating things in an e-mail? If you were draining your wife's trust fund, why would you brag about it to your mistress? Zoe said it was simply a case of a man thinking with the wrong part of his anatomy but to Elise, it just illustrated once more the fact that most people were untrustworthy. To pledge yourself to one person but then turn around and have a secret relationship with another was just wrong in her book. If you couldn't keep your word then what kind of a person were you?

Unfortunately in her distraction, Elise didn't see the trash can in front of her. She walked right into it and it fell over with a loud crash. Shit! What the hell am I doing? She thought angrily to herself. Elise stopped dead and listened while looking carefully around her in the dark. A small sound came from the corner of the building ahead of her, the sound of cloth sliding against brick. She never would have heard it if she hadn't been listening for it. She had both hands around the butt of her gun as she advanced slowly towards the source of the sound.

Reese entered the alley and looked up to make sure there were no faces in the windows above before advancing. He had had one too many a close call with unfriendlies appearing behind him. He was always careful to make sure there was no one on his "six" before he entered a confined area like this alley. Training his gun back and forth in front of him, he was glad that the alley was so dark. He had pulled his coat tightly around his collar to block out his white shirt. He knew as long as he kept his head down, no one from above would see anything except a black shadow if that. Suddenly from the other side of the building, he heard a loud crash. Reese froze. What the hell was that? A cat? A neighbor throwing out a bag of trash? Or something….else? Reese started forward again but crouched down as he advanced. If there WAS anyone there with a gun, they would be aiming higher and would miss him. He was just about to round the corner when he saw a black shape materialize in front of him. Damn it! He didn't have time to think of anything else before he heard the whistle of a blow swing past his ear.

Elise moved carefully, transferring her weight slowly from foot to foot, being careful not to make a sound. She pressed her back against the wall once she reached the edge of the building, taking a split second to decide if she wanted to enter the situation with stealth or with power. Power, she decided and came around the corner swinging the butt of her pistol at the head of the shape she saw not a foot in front of her.

Reese kicked out with his leg and connected with the leg of the person who had just come careening around the corner. The person went down heavily with a grunt but sprang up instantly and was able to get under his guard with a swift punch upwards. Damn that hurt! He sprang back but then re-engaged a second later and grabbed the assailant's arm.

"Don't think so buddy!" He heard the person say as they turned into his body and flipped him over their shoulder. He was expecting that and landed a blow on the person's side. Wait! Wasn't that voice…..

"Elise?" He asked disbelieving.

"Who….the…fuck…are….you?" She gasped out between the waves of pain radiating out from her side.

"Elise, it's John. John Reese. What the hell are you doing here? Why aren't you with Zoe resting up? Are you alright?"

Elise reached her hand out to the wall to steady herself. "I'm fine thanks for asking and no thanks to you. Did you have to hit so…hard?" She gasped again but straightened up.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were a perp. Here, let me help you." Reese reached over for her arm with the intention of picking her up and carrying her out of there. He wanted to see if she had opened the wound again.

"Keep your hands to yourself!" Elise slapped his hand away. "You've already done enough tonight!"

"I'VE done enough?" Reese's hissed. "That WAS you that made that racket a few minutes ago wasn't it? YOU probably just alerted everyone in the building to the fact that we are out here!" He shook his head, "Didn't they teach you ANY thing about stealthy approaches in HRT?"

Elise sucked in her breath. "How DARE you? What I've done before this is none of your or your boss's business! And how do you think I knew to come out swinging? You weren't exactly Mr. Silent and Deadly yourself!"

"Elise, I…."

"Just leave me the hell alone! I have a job to do here if you're done beating up on me!" Even Elise felt bad about that the moment the words were out of her mouth. He didn't do anything she herself wouldn't have done had she been in his shoes.

"I'm sorry." They both said at the same time. Elise smiled and could see the white of his teeth as he smiled back.

"Look, I've got to get back to work here." She explained quietly. "If I don't get the laptop I came for tonight, it will be too late for our client."

Reese sighed. "Well at least that explains why you're here but shouldn't you still be at Zoe's, recovering?"

"Would YOU still be lying in bed if you had been shot? I was driving Zoe crazy and she finally told me it was time to get back to work. What are YOU doing here, Reese?"

"It's John." He deliberately didn't answer her question. Why couldn't she remember his name for God's sakes!

"Ok….. John…. Why are you here?" She spoke slowly and enunciated her words carefully.

"I'm on the job too. Look, it seems like no one heard us after all. Let's take care of your job and then I'll finish mine."

"I don't need your help!" Elise spoke hotly. "And why don't we take care of YOUR job first and then I can finish mine."

Reese rolled his eyes though he knew she wouldn't be able to see it. "You are such an exasperating woman!" He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Ok, we'll both take care of both of our jobs. And then I want to take a look at your wound."

"Well since time is of the essence, I suppose I can go along with that…all except the checking out my wound, that is. I can take care of myself."

Reese just let out a large sigh and let that go. As Elise said, time was of the essence here and he felt that he could be arguing here with this woman all night. If he said the sky was blue, she'd probably try and argue that it was purple. "Lead the way, Elise."

She gave him a sharp look and turned to go back the way she had started. "I couldn't get in the front door with that security guy there, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to get in through a window."

"What, the guy didn't succumb to your considerable charms?" Reese joked.

"And what are you doing back here, John? Don't tell me that you, with all that black-ops ninja stuff you do, you couldn't get in the front door either?" Elise chuckled. "Well here's to someone actually doing their job for once though in this case I wish the guy would have been a bit more lax."

"I need to recover a laptop from an apartment on the second floor. Can you boost me up to that one?"

Reese sucked in his breath as he realized that he and Elise were intending on breaking into the same apartment! What the hell? "Who owns that apartment?" He asked more sharply than he intended. He needed to be sure.

"Some guy by the name of Vinny, something or other, the guy is a professional blackmailer. He has something on one of our clients. Why?"

"Well it just so happens that I also need to get into Mr. Raven's apartment."

"What? Why?"

"Someone is either going to kill Mr. Raven or be killed by him. I need to find out which. I'll lift you up there, but you have to promise me that you'll plug this into the guys' computer." He handed her a USB drive. "If Finch can remotely find out what's going on with this guy from his laptop, I won't need to find a way up there. Otherwise, I'll be joining you. Can I trust you to do that immediately?"

"Yes, of course you can. Now lift me up."

Reese picked Elise up as if she weighed nothing and boosted her onto his shoulders. He intensely disliked having her enter the apartment alone, but as she would never be able to lift him, he didn't think there was any choice. At this point, it would take too long to find something for him to climb up on to get in. He would just have to come back tomorrow if this didn't work out.

Elise lifted herself up over the sill after jimmying the window lock open. She took a second to get used to the layout of the apartment before moving to the safe where she knew Vinny kept his hard-drive locked up. Somehow, Zoe had been able to provide her the combination to the safe. It still amazed Elise how Zoe was able to obtain SO much information.

"Elise!" She heard her name hissed from the alley below.

"Keep your pants on, Reese!" She whispered back while pulling the laptop and hard drive in. She plugged in the USB drive and the computer beeped to life. She leaned out the window and spoke softly to Reese, "How will I know when it's done sending the information to Finch?"

"Hang on." Reese held a hand up and listened to Finch's voice in his earbud. "Well that explains it. Ok. I'll be in touch."

"You can come down now Elise, we got what we need. Turns out Mr. Raven was going to kill his mark once he had received the payment from your client. We can turn this over to the police now."

"Ok, hang on." Elise quickly scrolled through the emails and deleted the ones their client was being blackmailed for. While she wouldn't have minded if the police arrested him for his despicable behavior, it would be bad for business. She shut to the computer down and stuck the laptop in the back of her waistband so she'd have her hands free.

She swung her legs out the window and hissed to Reese below, "Are you ready?" She was used to repelling off buildings so heights didn't frighten her but she was worried about Reese catching her below.

"Trust me." He said.

She shut her eyes. He couldn't have said anything worse. But she didn't have any choice in the matter so she let her feet feel for the top of his shoulders as she inched down the wall while holding onto the sill. She felt the top of Reese's head with a foot.

"Ow! Careful! Those shoes hurt!" Reese exclaimed softly.

"Sorry, I…." At that moment, two things happened. A flashlight clicked on in the alley below and she suddenly lost her grip on the sill. Her legs fell on either side of Reese's head and he caught her at the same time with his up-stretched arms. She came to rest with her legs looped over either of his shoulders and her crotch right in his face! She was mortified and tried to squirm out of his arms. Could this possibly get any worse? Just then the flashlight shone on the two of them and a voice came out of the darkness.

"Well, what have we here?" And then the voice chuckled. "Good thing for you, it was me that took this call!"

Reese almost dropped Elise as she was squirming around, trying to get him to release her. "Hang on, Elise." He slowly slid her down the front of him and he couldn't help but enjoy the sensation of her warm, soft body pressed tightly up against his. He got her on her feet, but for a second she swayed uncertainly. He chalked it up to dizziness and her weakness due to her wound. He kept his arms around her until he felt her pull away.

Meanwhile, Elise was relieved when Reese started to let her get down from his shoulders. He eased her down his body and she couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach as she slowly slid down his hard, warm body. Damn, she hadn't been this close to a man for a long time. Just as she regained her feet, she made the mistake of inhaling his scent. His smell was a heady combination of a calm, clean, outdoorsy scent. It was all man and had her legs feeling like jelly. Why did he have to smell so gosh darn appealing? She just wanted to snuggle in closer and be held. Reese held her tightly against him until she pulled away, alarmed at the direction of her thoughts.

Reese turned to the voice behind the flashlight. "Well Lionel, now that you've seen there's nothing to be concerned about, you can just run along. And stop shining that light in our faces damn it."

"Yeah, great to see you too. You know if you're gonna meet up with a woman you might wanna think about doin it somewhere that the neighbors aren't gonna call the police on ya."

Reese heard Elise gasp beside him. "Lionel," Reese said in a warning tone. "I appreciate your concern about my dating habits, but I'm on a case here."

Now if you want to really be useful, you can arrest the guy in apartment 24. He's about to commit murder."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say." Lionel chuckled again. "Where's the proof? I can't just arrest the guy on your word ya know."

Elise removed the laptop from her back and handed it over to the guy Reese referred to as Lionel, a man she assumed was a cop. At this point, she didn't need it and if the guy, Vinny, was arrested, she knew her client would be satisfied with the outcome.

"Everything you need is in there, Officer." She told him. "Perhaps you could say it was recovered during a break-in. Then you'd have probable cause to have seen the evidence."

"Yeah sure honey, thanks." Lionel replied. Elise bristled a little at being called 'honey' but before she could retort, Reese was grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the head of the alley.

They stepped out of alley and Reese dragged her towards a car. "What are you doing?" Elise demanded, trying to pull her hand out of his.

"I told you, I want to make sure your wound is ok." Reese answered, opening the backseat car door. "I didn't think you'd want Lionel and every other nosey neighbor seeing you with your shirt off."

"The hell you will, John! I told you I'm fine. Now, let me go!" After what she had felt in the alley when John was holding her, the LAST place she wanted to be was in the backseat of a car with the man and half naked to boot.

Reese couldn't understand the panic he heard in Elise's voice and paused and released her. "Elise, what's wrong? You know I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to make sure you're ok."

Elise took a deep breath. "I know John, but I'm fine. Trust me. I need to get back to Zoe and report."

"Well if you're sure…."

"Yes, John I am. Thank you for your help tonight. Now I need to get back. Good-bye."

Reese watched her walk away from him and he couldn't help but feel a moment of disappointment. Then he remembered that at the end of their conversation, she had called him John. For some reason he felt like smiling as he got into the car and drove away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Elise waited in the shadows behind several wooden crates. She was hoping that tonight, she'd finally get the answers she had been seeking for the past three days. She and Zoe had taken on a client who believed that he had been ripped off when he purchased a priceless Chinese vase. Unfortunately, their client's purchase had technically been illegal so he was unable to go to the police with his suspicions. He had employed them to find out if the seller was indeed selling fakes and to collect evidence that could be anonymously sent to the police. Elise personally felt that their employer was hoping to exact a bit more of a direct form of revenge on the seller. But when she had shared her suspicions with Zoe, she was told that it was none of their business what their employer intended to do with the information they provided him with. As a former member of law enforcement, that didn't sit too well with Elise. It made her a bit disappointed in herself and frankly angry that she had come to this point. She shook her head and brought her mind back to the present. 'Time enough to think on this later', she thought.

Just then a door crashed open across from her and she saw a man with a very large belly shuffle into the warehouse. "Fookin' idiot!" He grumbled. "Gives me the shit job and sits there all high and mighty waiting for the damn boss man to tell us where to deliver all this shit!" The man walked over to several boxes and picked one up, depositing it inside a parked van several yards away. "God damned crap is heavy and he sits there, making me do all the work… Fookin prick! Pretending he had to 'sort through the damn papers'! Can't believe how much money those idiots are shelling out for this fake shit and all cause it comes with the damn paperwork. Hell I could fake those papers myself and that skinny-ass idiot could be doin this god damned work!" The man kept up a running commentary with himself in between grunts as he heaved the boxes upon his shoulders and loaded up the van.

Elise had heard enough. If she could get a hold of one of those boxes and the faked paperwork that went along with it, she would have enough evidence to satisfy the police and their client. She crept out of her hiding place behind the crates and stealthily approached the man while his back was turned. She wanted to make this silent so as not to draw the partner's attention and so withdrew a knife from the sheath around her leg. When she was seconds away from having the knife at the man's throat, he turned unexpectedly and saw her. Damn! She automatically dropped into a crouch and started looking for a way to corner him and force him to do what she wanted.

"What the hell?" He shouted. "Who the hell are you? Doesn't fookin matter, you're dead anyway." He reached out to grab her by her hair but missed as she stepped aside and raked him with her knife.

"Bitch! Now you're really gonna be sorry!" He yelled as he moved in closer once more, this time trying to kick her legs out from under her.

Elise jumped over his leg and leaned in and sliced his leg and belly with her knife. Blood droplets flew all over her as he grunted and swung wildly at her. She knew she had to end this soon. He was much stronger than her and would eventually win if she didn't get the upper hand and soon. She hoped that by showing that she was willing to use her knife, she could convince him to surrender. Before she could react, he grabbed for the arm of her knife hand. He brought her up close to his belly by twisting her arm behind her back. She went limp for a second and then slumped over letting her body weight draw him off balance. Once again her knife sliced into him as she disengaged and moved to a safe distance. She was about to tell him to give up when the back of her head exploded in pain and everything went black.

"God damn it Ted! I leave you alone for five minutes and look what happens! Look at you! You're covered in blood and who the hell is this?" A tall, skinny man yelled.

"Don't… have…no…clue." Ted panted, trying to catch his breath. "God, damned…..bitch just…shows….up outta nowhere!" He aimed a kick in her direction and was pleased to feel it connect. He couldn't believe what that freakin bitch had done to him with her knife!

"Well the boss ain't gonna be happy with this. We better figure out a way to get rid of her and fast. Boss was really hot about us leaving as soon as the van is loaded."

"What the hell are we gonna do with her?" Ted asked.

"Well, let's load her up in one of these boxes here and leave it in the van. Boss says this shit is going down to some buyers in Mexico. We'll just make sure this box falls off the boat if you know what I mean. I gotta a friend who works on the cargo ship. He can take care of this…bastard owes me one anyway."

"Ok, whatever you say Jeff." Ted picked the woman up and walked over to a long crate and dropped her beside it. He picked up a crowbar and pried open the lid. He was just about to deposit the bitch inside when Jeff yelled at him to stop.

"Look, her clothes are covered in your blood. If something happens and she is found before my friend can drop her off the boat, the cops can trace her back to us. We gotta dispose of her clothes and before you put her in there."

"Damn, I didn't think of that! Alright. Let's burn 'em in that trash barrel. Don't want no cops to throw us back in. No fookin way!" Ted reached down and ripped the shirt off the woman and then unbuttoned her pants and jerked them down and off.

"Here, I'll take those." Jeff said. "You get her in that box and into the van."

A half-hour later, Jeff and Ted drove off in their car with the heat blasting. They had left the van sitting out on the loading dock as their boss had originally instructed. The woman's clothes had been burned and she was nailed into a crate that had been loaded into the back of the van. Neither man cared that it was snowing and the temperatures were only in the mid-teens.

Reese turned up his coat collar as he waited outside the art gallery. Ms. Spencer was due out at any moment according to what she told her boss. Reese had blue jacked her phone two days ago when her number had come up. From what he and Finch had been able to discover, Kim Spencer worked for a very rich man named Jonathan Fisher. Mr. Fisher was a major buyer and seller of antiquities. However, as Ms. Spencer had recently discovered, not all of the shipments were being accurately documented. Apparently she'd begun questioning the contents of several of the manifests that came with the shipped items. The weights and descriptions just didn't match up.

Ms. Spencer had immediately brought this fact to the attention of her boss.

"Ms. Spencer, this is incredible work! I knew I hired the right person for the job!" He told her. "I'll look into this immediately."

That was a week ago according to the security recordings Finch had been able to hack into and as far as Reese could tell, Jonathan Fisher had not looked into anything. It COULD be that the man was very busy….but Reese's suspicious nature doubted that was the reason. If, as he suspected, Fisher knew about the incorrect manifests, the last thing he would want to do would be to draw attention to them. In fact, he might go to great lengths to conceal the fact that he was smuggling something into the country. Lengths that included disposing of anyone asking too many questions.

Fisher had just called Ms. Spencer into his office. Reese was listening as Fisher asked her to attend the gala charity affair at his home two nights from now. Pieces of his collection were to be auctioned off for charity.

"In the meantime, would you do me a huge favor?" He asked. "I have a shipment that is bound for a buyer in Mexico but the men who were to deliver it to the ship were fired today for stealing. I'm afraid it's left me a bit short handed. Could you possibly take it to the ship for me? Naturally I can't trust just anyone with these valuable artifacts."

"Um, sure Mr. Fisher. I'll be glad to."

"Great, here are the addresses for the warehouse where the van is located and dock that they need to be delivered to. Please go there directly, I'm extremely nervous about leaving such a valuable shipment unattended for too long a period."

"Yes, Sir."

Reese watched from the sidewalk as Ms. Spencer hailed a cab and gave the cabbie the address to the warehouse. He got into his own car and pulled out into traffic whilst simultaneously calling Carter.

"Carter, I'm on a case and I believe that someone I'm watching is heading into a trap. I need you to run interference until I can check the situation out."

"Ok, what do you need me to do?" She asked. It had been awhile since John had directly involved her with his cases. Ever since Taylor's abduction, he seemed to prefer calling her in when the case was about to conclude other than when he called needing information that Finch was unable to provide. Frankly while she missed the action that she saw when working with him, she appreciated his concern for her and Taylor's welfare. She had to walk a fine line between helping him, keeping Snow, Donnelly and Fusco in the dark, all while doing her regular job as a homicide detective. Therefore, she knew John wouldn't call her in unless he had no choice. She agreed to intercept the woman, Ms. Spencer, and keep her busy until she heard from John that it was safe for the woman to continue on to the warehouse.

Reese raced to the warehouse and was not surprised to find the area deserted. The only thing that marred the recently fallen snow were the tire tracks from one vehicle. He parked behind an adjacent building and slowly approached the parked car that had made the tracks. There were two men inside but neither seemed concerned about what was behind them so he was able to approach unseen. He opened the passenger's door and knocked out the man sitting there. As he had hoped, the driver saw what happened to his partner and he drove off before Reese had a chance to do more than smile evilly at him. Reese would have preferred to take both men out or at least to question them as to who had hired them, but he knew time was of the essence. He had to be content with having them out of his hair while he searched the warehouse for any more hidden ambushes.

As Reese approached the van, he wondered briefly if there was a bomb inside. It could be that those men were there waiting for Ms. Spencer to drive off in the van before detonating the device. 'Oh well, if that IS the case,' he thought, 'at least the men AND the trigger were no long gone. I'll just have Carter call in the bomb squad if I find anything'. He cautiously approached the van and quickly picked the lock on the back door. The inside was piled high with wooden crates. Very carefully, he slid the largest one down onto the concrete loading dock. Using a nearby pipe, he pried off the lid and stared down in disbelief at what he saw.

Lying in the box, with her hands tied was an unmoving, half naked Elise. Her lips and skin had a bluish tint to them and even as he reached out to touch her, he heard himself praying that she was alive. Her stillness scared him beyond all reason. 'No! Not again!' He thought. 'Please, I can't take it again if she's dead!'

Elise felt cold to the touch but when picked her up from the box, he saw no signs of blood pooling in her back or the backs of her legs that would indicate she was dead. He wrapped his arms around her and ran with her to his car. He lay her down on the backseat and reached over and cranked the heat up to full blast. He straddled her as best he could and started to rub her limbs and torso in an attempt to warm her up. For several minutes he got no response. It pulled at his heart to see her this way. He repeatedly chaffed his hands up and down her body and arms, bothered more than he could explain, as he saw his rough hands leaving marks on her smooth skin. Still, it was a good sign that her blood was circulating enough to make her skin turn from deathly white to a healthy pink. A minute later her eyes fluttered a little under her eyelids and she let out a low moan.

"Yes, Elise, that's right! Come back to me! Come on!" He began to rub her stomach and chest even more vigorously, the force of the friction moving them both back and forth on the seat. It was at that exact moment that Carter opened the car door and got in the front seat.

"John! What the hell are you doing to that woman?" She drew her service weapon and pointed it at him. "So help me God if you don't get off her now, I'm going to shoot you myself and save Snow the trouble!"

"Carter, you don't understand! I'm…"

She interrupted Reese before he could finish. "I understand perfectly, you're on top of an unconscious, almost completely naked woman in the back seat of your car. Oh, I understand perfectly Mr. John fucking Reese!"

Whatever Reese was about to say, was halted when they both heard a moan followed by a weak, "John? Why are you on top of me? What's going on?"

"YOU DRUGGED HER, YOU JERK?" Carter screamed at him and pointed her pistol directly at his head.

"Wait! No, don't hurt him!" Elise struggled weakly. "Get off me John, please."

Reese moved to comply despite the fact that Carter was pointing her gun at him. He supposed that he couldn't blame her for jumping to the wrong conclusions, but it hurt him a little that she would have such little trust in him. And that she would think he would be capable of raping a woman showed just how much Snow and Donnelly had gotten to her and created doubts in her mind.

"Reese, why am I here in your car?" Elise's brain function and speech were improving. "The last thing I remember was fighting with Ted." She looked down at herself and realized why she was feeling so cold. She was dressed only in her bra and panties! "What the hell happened to my clothes?" She gasped, wrapping her arms around her body and trying to cover up her nakedness. She couldn't believe that she was sitting here, almost fully undressed, in front of HIM! Why the heck did she keep finding herself in these terrible situations and always with HIM?

"Here take my coat." The woman in the front seat offered and started removing her jacket.

Reese frowned at the fact that Carter was quicker than he in offering Elise something to cover up with. "No Carter, you need it. She can have mine." He removed his driving coat, jacket and started to pull his white shirt over his head when both women asked 'what the heck was he doing?'

"She needs layers. She could still die of hypothermia if her body temperature drops once more." He answered by way of explanation. A minute later he was sitting beside Elise, wearing nothing on his upper body. Two sets of eyes were staring at him, one looked at his scars and looked away, embarrassed, but the other sat there staring at his chest and abdomen with a sad, unexplained look. He quickly shrugged his suit jacket back on to cover as much of his chest as possible.

Elise saw the many gunshot wounds and scars that marked John's body and for a minute, she felt like crying. To see such a perfect body, marred by so many painful episodes, was heartbreaking. Reese handed her his shirt and she tried to slip it on but her arms and hands just wouldn't do what she told them to. Reese had to help her put it over her head. As he did, his hands guided it downwards, sometimes brushing against her body. Every place he touched, her skin suddenly felt as if it was on fire. She liked the feeling of his hands on her and that scared her. A LOT. She shifted uncomfortably at the thought.

Reese pulled his shirt down onto Elise since it appeared that she couldn't do it herself. He found his hands had a mind of their own as they gently brushed up against her, here and there. Not for the first time did he find himself admiring her body. He didn't realize it, but his eyes took on an intense look as he draped his driving coat over her shoulders. For a split second he wondered what she would do if he left his hands on her shoulders and pulled her close. He could just imagine what it would feel like to kiss those…

Carter spoke and it broke the spell between them. "So John, who IS this woman and why is she here?"

Both Reese and Carter looked at Elise. "I was investigating an antiquities dealer who sold my client a fake artifact when I was jumped by two of his men." Elise shrugged. It was a very simplified version of the truth but the truth none the less.

"So you're a private detective?" Carter asked her.

"Yes, in a manner of speaking. I'm sorry, but I don't know you….." Elise asked as politely but as firmly as her chattering teeth allowed.

"I'm Detective Carter, NYPD. John called me, said there was a woman about to walk into an ambush here." She turned to John. "I'm assuming you neutralized the threat?"

"For were a pair of hitmen here waiting for her. Why isn't she with you by the way? I thought I was rather clear that you were to remain with Ms. Spencer until I called and told you it was safe."

Elise hid a smile when she heard Reese take 'that tone' with Detective Carter. Apparently she wasn't the only one that Reese liked to try and control. But in her case, Elise was determined it wouldn't get passed the try stage.

"I did my best to keep her with me Reese but without a reason to charge her…." Carter shrugged. "She drove away about three minutes ago in a van."

"I need you to follow her Carter, she is going directly to the docks at this address." Reese handed her a piece of paper. "Just make sure nothing happens to her when she gets there."

"Alright. You better be in touch on this one, Reese. And try and make that BEFORE there are any bodies to clean up." Reese flashed Carter a smirk and she couldn't help but smile back as she exited the car.

Reese waited until Carter had left before he turned to Elise. "Ok, what really happened in there?"

"I told you, I was doing some investigating for a client and just as I found the evidence I needed, I was jumped by a guy from behind. I have no idea how I ended up here in your car though." Elise waited for Reese to explain.

Rather than take the hint, that she wanted answers though, he began to question her sharply. "So, you went into a place like that alone? Without anyone to watch your back?"

"Would YOU have gone in by yourself?" She turned the question back on him. He was silent. "I thought so." She smiled tightly. She had made her point.

"You are missing the point, Elise." Reese unconsciously mirrored her thoughts. He dragged a hand through his hair. "You should have called me. I would have gone in with you. Instead, I bet you went charging in, just like you did on the last case. You know you can trust me."

Do I know that? She thought to herself with a bit of bitterness. I promised myself I'd never rely on anyone else. "I'm a big girl Reese." Elise was starting to get a little angry at his lack of confidence in her abilities. "I can take care of myself!"

"Oh? And how did that work out for you earlier?" Reese asked a bit sarcastically. He found it so irksome that Elise wouldn't even admit that she sometimes needed help. She was such a stubborn, obstinate woman!

Elise flushed, she wasn't sure if it was due to the fact that she was reminded that he had seen her half-naked or the fact that she was, so far, unsuccessful in retrieving the necessary evidence for her client. Either way, Reese had succeeded in getting under her skin. They both sat there, staring at each other angrily. If she could have, she would have taken his shirt and coat off, flung it in his face and exited the vehicle. Unfortunately, she did not have that option. But she did have another way to shut him up.

"If you're done berating me, I think I'll go find that evidence I need. I'll return your clothes to you tomorrow." She reached for the door handle but he was quicker in reaching over and locking the door.

"Are you kidding me Elise? You can't go out in that cold wearing only my shirt and a coat. You'll freeze to death in an instant and I'll have to try and bring you around again!" Reese dropped his voice to a low, intense whisper, so that she knew he was serious. Unsurprisingly, she didn't take the hint.

"Don't you dare try and tell me what I can and can't do Reese! I'm going to do my job and you can't do anything about it!"

For a brief second, Elise thought she saw his eyes burn brightly but then he was back to his normal impassive self so quickly, she thought she must have imagined it. She was taken aback at his next words.

"If I help you, will you do as I ask?"

His sudden about face made her suspicious but she could tell nothing from his expression. He was very good at hiding his emotions.

"Ok…." Elise agreed reluctantly.

Good. Reese jumped out of the car fast before she could change her mind. He knew she wasn't going to like this, a fact that made him smile a little with satisfaction and a bit of anticipation. He was used to getting his way, best that she learn that now. As he already had the car running to provide heat, it was extremely easy to open the front door, slide in and start the car moving all before Elise had a chance to react.

"Reese! What the hell are you doing? You just agreed to help me!" Elise yelled.

"I AM helping you. I'm helping to make sure you don't get sick or lose any fingers or toes. You wouldn't be any help to your client if that happened." He looked at her in the rear-view mirror and a small part of him enjoyed the fire he saw in her eyes.

"But what about my evidence?" Elise couldn't believe she fell for his shenanigan. Why did fate hate her so much to keep throwing John Reese in her way everywhere she turned?

"I'll go check out the warehouse, once I've dropped you off at your place. What's your address?"

"I wish I had let that guy shoot you." She grumbled and then remained silent. She didn't trust ANYONE with that information, especially not Mr._I'm-going-to-help-you _up there_._

"Well, I for one am glad you didn't." He smiled cockily at her in the mirror. "So, not gonna tell me where you live?" She remained silent in the backseat. "Ok, we'll just go to my place then."

The rest of the trip was made in silence, Elise fuming in the backseat and Reese up front enjoying watching the expressions flit across her face and her cheeks reddening with anger. No doubt he was dying a thousand deaths in her mind. Damn but he loved having the upper hand here with her!

They arrived at his loft and Reese held the door for her as she got out of the car and stomped into the building. When they entered his apartment, Elise couldn't help but gasp. The place was very large and open. It was bright and airy, nothing like the dungeon she had pictured him living in in her mind.

"You like the place? I do too. Finch gave it to me for my birthday recently. Alright, let me see what I can find here." He walked away into another room and she was drawn to the large windows that looked down over a park.

He was gone so long, she started to wonder what kind of clothes he was looking for. She frowned, no doubt he had brought many a woman here. That thought ushered in another and another all about how many women he had seduced with those startlingly blue eyes and those sexy, long-fingered hands. 'Well she was NOT jealous she told herself and she was certainly not going to be another notch on his bed-post!' She thought angrily. 'Not that he's made any passes at me.' That thought made her even more angry. Didn't he find her attractive? Oh! That man had her all twisted around in knots and she hated it!

Reese came in at that point, "Found it, I knew it was here somewhere." He produced a black and white patterned dress and handed it to her. Finch had purchased it for Carter once she had become part of the team. He had clothes for her stashed at every safe house along with Reese's apartment and the library, on the off chance that Carter would need a change of clothes at some point.

Elise inwardly groaned. 'A dress? He wanted her to wear some other woman's dress?'

"Are you kidding me Reese? You want me to wear one of your conquests' dresses?" She asked furiously.

Reese gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean conquests? And the name is JOHN. J-O-H-N. When will you remember that?" He asked a little perturbed that she never called him by his first name despite the fact that he had asked her to repeatedly. He wasn't quite sure why it mattered to him, but it did.

"UGH!" Elise said throwing up her hands in disgust. She was just going to get dressed and get home as soon as possible to change and go back out to the warehouse. Maybe. "Where is your bathroom?" When he pointed down the hall to the door on her left, she stalked quickly off and shut the door, locking it behind her.

She emerged all of 5 minutes later. "I hung your clothes on the towel rack in there. Thanks for everything." She finished quickly, in a hurry to get home and change.

Reese eyed her appreciatively. "Wow Elise! You look…."

"Save it John!" And she walked out, slamming the door, before he could finish what he had been about to say. As she ran down the stairs though, she couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips. So he did find her attractive! But why did that matter to her? She pondered that thought the whole way home…..

…Reese couldn't help but smile. She had looked damn hot in that dress! She filled it out oh so well, in all the right places. He gathered up some new clothes and then went to fulfill his promise to her to check out the warehouse.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Hanging up the phone after talking to Finch about the invites for the charity gala, Zoe knew what the biggest obstacle was going to be.

Getting the invites to the private, invitation only, charity gala would be no problem, she knew just about every mover and shaker in NYC. No, the hardest part was going to be convincing Elise to get dressed up AND go to a party. Zoe was not looking forward to that discussion! Being stubborn was the most daunting part of Elise's personality. When she dug her heels in, almost nothing could convince her to change her mind.

'I need to come up with an angle, one that will prevent her from throwing up that wall she's going to make at the mere mention of dressing up.' mused Zoe. She'd never seen Elise in anything but mostly dark clothing: jeans, boots, sweater or jacket and a hat, it seldom varied. The few times she'd had to wear something different for a job, she did so grudgingly and was back in her regular clothes as fast as possible. Zoe didn't know why Elise was that way. Heck, she didn't even know where Elise lived! 'Hmmm….never thought about how little I know about my own partner!' Elise was due to come by this evening to check on any new jobs in the offering. Zoe would have to have the dreaded conversation then. She tried to get all of her 'arguments' in order so that she could convince Elise that they had to do this.

Knocking on her door and then unlocking it and coming in, Elise blew into Zoe's apartment like a small whirlwind. Being small in stature she was surprisingly bigger than life sometimes. This was one of those times. When she strode into the apartment, Elise let the door slam behind her and Zoe, already on edge, jumped.

"Uh sorry Zoe, didn't mean to do that. But damn it I've had it with John Reese!" Pacing back and forth from the dining room to the living room and back again, she pulled off her gloves and her black leather jacket and threw them on a chair. As usual, she kept her hat on.

"He keeps showing up at the most inopportune moments when I'm working a job! I don't like him! He's smarmy and snarky and ...and...UGH! I hate him! I know you like him Zoe but keep him away from me! Next time I see him I just might shoot him!"

Zoe was taken aback at Elise's vehemence when talking about Reese. Elise seldom showed that kind of emotion about anything or anybody. The word 'stoic' came to mind when thinking of Elise, nothing seemed to affect her, good or bad. Till now that was. 'Hmmmm, interesting,' thought Zoe.

"Well that's going to be rather difficult Elise." Standing up so she'd at least have the height advantage, Zoe continued. "We have a date with Mr. Reese and Mr. Finch to a charity gala. It's for business purposes of course. Now before you start screaming, I will tell you that I've already accepted the 'date' and we need to go shopping for formal dresses..."

"We have a WHAT? Are you out of you mind? I didn't sign up for this! I want nothing to do with that, that...that MAN. He is infuriating! I can handle any job we take on. Things have been fine for the last year haven't they? Have I ever let you down? Ever? But now...now that John Reese shows up everywhere, things go to hell in a hand basket! There is NO WAY I'm doing any job with Mr. J-O-H-N Reese! You'll just have to handle this yourself!" She said through gritted teeth.

Standing in front of Zoe, who was a good eight inches taller, Elise's animosity towards John Reese was an almost physical thing. It made Zoe want to step back. With her hands on her hips, and her chin jutting out, Elise's dark blue eyes were fire-filled and her pursed lips were a sure sign that she had reached the limit of her control. She was almost panting with barely contained rage. It wouldn't take much to push her over that edge. Zoe didn't think she wanted to see Elise in full rant mode, the hints she was witnessing were enough. What in the hell had happened to get Elise so worked up? Zoe had never, in the year that they had known each other, _ever_ seen Elise like this.

Turning on her heel, Zoe walked away from Elise to try and collect her thoughts. All of the arguments that she had planned to use went out the window. They'd just fall on deaf ears right now. 'I've got to get her calmed down so she will listen to me, I know if she understands how important this 'date' is she'll go along with it.

Well, sometimes offense is the best defense, she thought. Taking a deep breath she turned back to Elise. "Are you done? Have you gotten it out of your system? Sorry for the inconvenience of having to work with John but we've been hired for a job that I have already accepted. DEAL WITH IT. You behave yourself and I will happily keep John away from you. Have I made myself clear?"

Glaring at Zoe, her hands clenched, Elise took a deep breath and held it. Zoe could almost 'hear' Elise talking to herself. She watched a myriad of expressions flow across Elise's face and thought she could almost hear the 'click' when Elise had come to a decision.

The ghost of a smile flirted with the edges of Elise's mouth and she answered, "Sure, whatever." And walked over to the couch and flopped down. Elise immediately propped her boots on the antique coffee table, much to the consternation of Zoe. Zoe knew Elise's action was a deliberate act of defiance. Elise always seemed to need to have the last word. But Zoe took it for what it was worth...Elise was finally back in control of...Elise.

Elise was more than annoyed at having to dress up. It brought back a memory that was best left buried, buried so deep no one knew about it but her. That was a part of her that no longer existed. Her life was better this way...no weakness to be exploited by anyone.

As she stepped into the deep blue dress that Zoe had picked out for her, she refused to look in the mirror. Afraid to see what was reflected there. She no longer saw herself that way...sweet, soft, innocent. She didn't need that kind of reminder. She had worked long and hard to leave that person behind.

Zoe kept asking her how it looked and if she liked it from outside the dressing room. Elise didn't answer because she didn't know HOW it looked and she didn't CARE how it looked. Finally Zoe gave up and walked in uninvited. She was prepared to tell Elise to grow up and do what she HAD to do, not necessarily what she WANTED to do. She stopped abruptly with her mouth agape. Elise was standing on a riser while the alterations woman was pinning up the hem. Elise was...beautiful. 'Even with her hair pinned up under that damn hat, she's gorgeous!' thought Zoe. The dress fit her like a glove and accented curves that her normal attire kept hidden. Being small in stature made her look fragile, like a doll. She looked like she should be set up on a pedestal and protected, kept out of harm's way. The absurdity of that idea made Zoe laugh out loud...Elise? Need protection? She was the most capable woman Zoe had ever met as far as being able to take care of herself.

Zoe's laughter made Elise look up and see herself in the mirror. Pain shot through her like a knife and actually made her cry out. Her knees almost gave way but seeing Zoe behind her in the mirror made Elise steel herself and remain standing. The woman pinning up the hem asked if she was ok and Elise whispered that she was fine. Elise's eyes met Zoe's in the mirror. Zoe was unprepared for the unguarded look on Elise's face, a look that Zoe had never seen in the two years they had worked together.

The anguish reflected there was gone so quickly that Zoe was not quite sure she had actually seen it. But the thousand yard stare on Elise's face made her certain she had seen something. Facing the mirror, Elise no longer saw herself in the blue evening gown. She saw herself in a girlish prom dress, splattered with blood; her boyfriend of four years with his head in her lap as she watched him bleed to death from a gunshot wound. She could still hear herself keening as her heart was taken from her.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the image, Elise looked around at Zoe. "Can I change out of this…..this costume now?" she growled, trying to recover from the momentary break in her façade; the façade that she showed the world, the one that tended to keep everybody at arms distance from her.

Collecting her thoughts for processing later, Zoe answered sharply "No. Take off that damn hat so I can see if you are going to be presentable at the gala." Elise rolled her eyes at Zoe and got that stubborn look on her face, but faced with the fashionista that was Zoe, she decided she'd better behave. Whipping off her knitted cap, Elise's hair fell out all scrunched up in a hair clip. Zoe cocked one eyebrow and put her hands on her hips saying nothing. Elise caught the unspoken demand and reached up to remove the hair clip. Her hair fell down past her shoulders, to the middle of her back. The change in Elise's appearance was startling to say the least. The inky darkness of her hair in contrast to the deep blue of her eyes was striking.

Zoe's eyes narrowed for a moment, "We'll have to do something with that mop of hair before the gala."

It suddenly popped into Zoe's mind that Elise might be competition for John's attention. That idea was a shock to her confidence. But then she remembered Elise's rant at her apartment and felt better about the coming 'date'.

Riding up the elevator to Zoe's apartment, Elise was in a foul mood. She did NOT want to play 'dress up'. She did NOT want to go to a dance/party whatever Zoe wanted to call it. She did NOT want to have anything to do with John Reese...ever again!

Like a mantra, she repeated over and over in her mind the words: 'I will not go. I refuse to go. She can't make me go.' The closer she got to Zoe's floor the angrier she became. Why do I have to go? Why can't she handle it? This is her area of expertise, schmoozing big wigs and playing pretty. My job is to get in, get what I need and get out. Handle any obstacle, man or man-made object, and get the job done. This is just WRONG!

The elevator dinged signaling that she'd arrived at Zoe's floor. The doors opened and Elise took a deep breath and stepped out. Standing outside Zoe's door she tried to bring back the anger she had just moments ago, but failed. She knew there was no way she could get out of tonight. Their services were needed; it was a job they were being paid to do, but the combination of reliving a nightmare from her past and have to deal with the irritating John Reese was truly going to test her ability to function.

Deciding to take the path of least resistance, Elise knocked on the door and waited for Zoe to answer instead of barging in, which was her usual manner. Hearing a muffled 'come on in', Elise used her key to let herself in. Two steps in, she stopped short. It looked like the women's department at Sax Fifth Avenue had exploded all over Zoe's living room! There were boxes of all shapes and sizes strewn all over the couch, the chairs, the tables and in stacks by the wall. Most were open already with a piece of women's attire hanging out. Elise looked around in total confusion.

"What in the HELL is all of this Zoe?" Elise asked with trepidation. It looked like somebody was going to be planning a major 'dress-up' and it sure wasn't going to be her!

Zoe came into the room with some slinky lingerie hanging over her arm and smiled. "This is how I am going to get YOU dressed for the party tonight. We don't have time to go shopping so I got a personal shopper to do the leg work. Now all we have to do is pick and choose. We already had the dresses so this was the easiest way to get all the accessories we'll need." She smiled smugly.

"Maybe you need all this but I sure as hell don't! You got me a dress and I do need shoes but that's all! And that's final!" Elise glared at Zoe, feeling the anger kicking back in. "I do not like to dress up! I am more comfortable just like you see me, in my jeans, boots and shirt. That's my 'work uniform' as it were. Since we'll be working tonight why do I have to change out of my work uniform? Can't I just blend in as the hired help or something?" Elise almost pleaded with her.

"No you cannot!" said an exasperated Zoe. "We don't have time for you to infiltrate a catering company. Harold needs us to help fill out the 'couple' look that will help him and John blend in. They have someone they are trying to help and we are helping THEM. Is that understood? I thought we had this settled earlier. Plus, we have a client of our own to help, remember? The guy who is throwing this party is the one who swindled our client."

Elise sighed, standing there in the middle of all those boxes and bags from those high end clothing stores, tapping her foot impatiently, Zoe was an imposing sight...not one Elise cared to cross ...again.

"Fine!" Elise almost shouted. Shoving some boxes to the side she plopped down on the couch, intent on not helping at all, but Zoe had other ideas.

"You can use the guest room to get ready. Go ahead and take a shower while I put something together for you to try on. I'll do your hair later."

"Hair? My hair? What are you going to do to my hair?" Elise asked in a panicked voice. She nervously pulled on her cap and actually bit her bottom lip. Damn, hadn't thought about having to do something with my hair. I like putting it up under my cap and forgetting about it. "Who is going to do my hair? I don't know how to do hair!" her voice had almost gotten shrill.

"Me of course!" said Zoe. "Come on Elise, did you think you could go to the gala with it shoved up under that cap? It'll be fine, I promise to do a good job. Do you think I let anybody touch MY hair? I do my own and I can make it as simple or fancy as we need. Take off that damn cap and let me see your hair again so I can get some ideas while you take a shower."

Elise closed her eyes, took a deep breath, finally realizing that Zoe was an irresistible force and she might as well just give in. Exhaling slowly in defeat, Elise removed her cap and shook her hair down. Once again Zoe was struck by how different Elise looked with her hair down instead of hidden by the cap. She walked around her slowly, combing Elise's hair with her fingers. It was thick and wavy, and the black contrasted sharply against her porcelain white skin. Pulling up the back like a ponytail and letting the ends fall, gave Zoe an idea for the best look with the strapless dark blue velvet dress. "Got it….think you'll like my idea. Now go take a shower. We only have four hours before we get our manicure and pedicure and wax."

"WHAT?" Yelled Elise. "I don't need that and I sure don't want it!"

"Yes you do and yes I know, but too bad, it will be done. I've got someone to come here to do it so it fits with our time schedule. John and Harold will be here by 8pm. Now get going." Zoe gently pushed Elise toward the guest bedroom.

Forty-five minutes later Elise came out of the guest bedroom in a big white bath towel and her hair wrapped up in a towel atop her head. Fresh faced, Elise looked like a totally different person. The hard look in her eyes was gone, her skin was soft and glowing from the hot shower, her eyes actually looked bluer than normal and she looked...relaxed. That was it. This was the most relaxed Zoe had ever seen Elise. The tenseness was gone out of her shoulders, the furtive look in her eyes was not there. Zoe was amazed at the transformation and smiled to herself thinking how far this transformation was going to go when she got Elise 'decked out' for the party.

Zoe showed Elise the silky lingerie she'd picked out. Elise stared at it in wonder. It was so soft and smooth. She touched it almost reverently. There was a wistful quality to the way she handled the items that Zoe had chosen. Apparently, it had been some time since Elise had worn anything like these, from what Zoe could surmise. 'Wonder why?' She thought.

"Ok, let's get to work on your hair. Come into my room and we'll get started."

Elise had never been in this part of Zoe's apartment and she was a little bit curious. Zoe was always dressed to the nine's. She was a sharp dresser with no frills but very expensive attire. Rather business-like but with touches of femininity thrown in, like a lacy camisole with a jacket. That was her 'work uniform', attractive, self-assured but still very female. Her bedroom was of a similar style, classically furnished with dark wood furniture and sheets that were obviously silk. Zoe's closet was full of clothes but their two dresses were hanging on the outside doors. Seeing her blue velvet dress brought Elise back to the present and her predicament of the moment.

Zoe walked into her large bathroom and motioned for Elise to sit in the chair in front of the make-up area. Elise sat down but kept her eyes averted from her reflection. She was not going there again. She didn't want to lose it again in front of Zoe. She knew Zoe had seen that weak moment in the dress store but was thankful that she hadn't asked about it.

Removing the towel from Elise's hair, Zoe started combing the tangles out. The rhythmic motion of the Zoe's ministrations relaxed Elise even further. Closing her eyes, she gave into the delicious experience of having her hair done. Zoe chit-chatted a little as she combed Elise's hair.

"Have you always worn you hair long? It's beautiful. You obviously take good care of your hair but then you hide it under that cap. Why do you do that?"

"It gets in the way when I'm working." Murmured Elise, under the spell of having her hair brushed. "And hiding it helps me blend in, people don't tend to notice me too much when I have my hat on and pulled low down on my head."

"Makes sense, but tonight it will be different. We will be noticed. I'll be with Harold so we can schmooze the 'suits' that will be at the gala. You and John can do your blending act later and then fade out to go do your search for that information we need."

"Mmmmm." Was the only response Elise gave. She was totally into the feeling of having her hair messed with. Elise's lack of response to her comment about her and John being together, meant Elise was right where Zoe wanted her. She could now start to find out about what happened in the dress shop.

After drying Elise's hair, Zoe started styling it in an upswept look and held it in place with crystal clips. Zoe left the bulk of hair to cascade down Elise's right shoulder with tendrils hanging down in front of her ears. Elise still sat there, almost swaying with contentment, and a small smile on her lips. Her head dipped slightly and Zoe sighed loudly and said, "Elise, WAKE UP! Look straight into the mirror so I can make sure I've got everything even."

Pulled out of her reverie, Elise opened her eyes quickly and stared at the mirror. But instead of seeing herself and Zoe, she saw a teenage girl in a crumpled prom dress, covered in blood. Her eyes opened wider and filled with tears and she pulled away from Zoe.

"Noooo." She moaned and tried to get up out of the chair. Zoe quickly placed both hands on her shoulders and started whispering quietly to Elise, holding her in the chair.

"It's ok, don't worry, you're fine, you're safe," over and over until Elise finally heard her.

Keeping her head down, tears spilled out of Elise's eyes and down her cheeks. Other than the weak 'no' she'd moaned earlier, Elise made no further sounds, but the tears continued to fall.

Zoe held onto Elise until she felt Elise's sobs quiet down. She reached over and got tissues to hand to Elise. Wiping her eyes, Elise finally looked up at Zoe. Her blue eyes were twin pools of deep pain and memory. Zoe almost felt guilty bringing that look to Elise's face but she knew that sometimes confronting something was better than burying it. Looking at Elise, she gave her a small smile and said, "You want to tell me about it?"

Elise took a deep breath and began. "I was SO excited to be riding in a limo for the first time in my life and what made it extra special is that I was doing it with my friends and more importantly, Patrick, my boyfriend of four years and the love of my life. We had grown up together and begun dating as freshmen. He and I were two halves of a whole. We hadn't spoken of marriage, not because we weren't planning on it, but rather because we both just knew that it would surely happen…it was the most natural thing in the world. And then, that terrible night, I realized that I could never again take anything for granted.

Once we arrived at the school, Patrick took my hand and we ran together, laughing through the dark night to the back of the gym. We kissed and touched and whispered 'I love you' for a while before going in to join the rest of our friends.

About an hour into the prom, we all heard several bangs from the hallway. Then the bangs became louder and time moved in slow motion. I heard screaming and people started running away from the main doors. There were more bangs and I saw my friend Jessica fall to the floor. I stared at her for a moment before I realized what that dark stain on her dress was. Patrick reacted more quickly and pulled me to the ground, covering me with his body. The bangs continued and spread around the room. They continued for what seemed like several minutes and then, even worse, was the silence. I could hear moaning and sobbing all around me. I turned my head and saw my friend April lying next to me. She was staring at me and I reached over to comfort her but felt something sticky when I grabbed her hand. I opened my mouth the scream but Patrick clamped his hand over it and whispered "shhh…" I nodded but the tears started rolling down my cheeks. He leaned his head down and gave me a quick kiss but his head jerked up as we heard the stomp of boots approaching.

"You two! Get up!" A menacing voice spoke nearby. There was something off about the voice, I thought briefly, it sounded young rather than the deeper voice I was expecting. "I said get up!" And the barrel of a shotgun, poked me in the arm. We sat up and all around me, I saw similar scenes. Four people were herding a bunch of others in prom attire over to the far wall. We all stood there, up against that wall…. I expected that I too would be dead soon and reached for Patrick's hand. He took mine and pulled me a little behind him. Three of the gunmen stalked out of the gym and once again, the bang of gunshots started up. A girl next to me jumped and screamed. One of the remaining two swung his shotgun in our direction and the girl cringed, waiting for the shot to come.

"Shut up!" I heard...wait, I thought….. "Steve?" I gasped and stared at the person in front of me holding the gun in my direction. I realized he was shorter than I had thought at first. Suddenly it all made sense. These 'gunmen' were my classmates!

"Steve?" I asked again. "Steve, what are you doing?" I hissed. Steve Perri was the boy in my English class who sat behind me. Everyone picked on Steve because his dad was a known drunk and his mom had run off when he was six. Steve rarely came to school in clean clothes or brushed hair and he always smelled of his father's cigarette smoke. While I couldn't stand the smell, I felt terrible watching his reaction as people mocked him. At that point I began to stick up for him in class and the others stopped bothering him.

"Elise! Elise, I'm….." He stopped and looked around wildly. "Just be quiet and you won't get hurt." He hissed warningly back at me.

We must have stood there for a good twenty minutes, occasionally hearing bangs over the moaning of my injured classmates strewn about the floor of the gym. We heard the approach of several sirens at some point.

When Steve walked close by once more, I tried again to engage him in conversation. "Steve? Why are you doing this? Please, talk to me." My voice was cracking with the strain of trying not to scream.

"Elise. I…Tom….he said it was the only way….. the only way to get people to stop bullying us….to show them we weren't weak…." He choked out the words brokenly.

"Oh Steve, it's NOT the only way! Please, you need to stop this before anyone else gets hurt. You need to convince Tom to stop before it's too late…you'll all…"

I stopped as we all heard a voice on a megaphone, "Hey in there! Boys, you need to come out with your hands up and unarmed, before someone gets hurt!"

I swung to face Steve, my eyes pleading with him to please, please, stop. He looked away from me for a second, took a deep breath and walked over to the other boy who was holding a gun on us all.

"Jack, we have to do as they said. We weren't supposed to be here this long. The police will be in here soon and then….."

"But Tom said…."

"I know, Jack, but do you want to die here?"

"Come out Tom, Jack, Steve, Ian and Henry. Your parents are here. They want to see you. Come out before we have to come in there and someone else gets hurt." The person on the megaphone cajoled.

"Jack?" Steve spoke sharply.

"No." Jack replied in a small voice. "I don't want to die here Steve. I want to go home."

"Then.." Steve never finished what he was going to say. A door banged open and a student that I barely knew, came running in. Behind him was the kid I knew as Tom O'Brady. I gasped as I saw Tom raise his rifle and shoot the other boy.

"We're all gonna die here! The cops won't take ME to jail!" Tom yelled and opened fire on all of us, including Steve and Jack. Patrick jumped in front of me and I saw him double over. I fell to the ground and crawled over to him. He was gasping and holding onto his stomach. I gathered him up in my arms and cried out his name. He gripped my hand and whispered in my ear, "Elise, I love you..please don't…" He stiffened suddenly and then died in my arms. I held him that way until the police came and pulled me away from him…I was…covered…"

Elise stopped talking and began to sob uncontrollably again. Zoe reached over and gathered her in her arms, crying herself. She held Elise as she let out all the hurt that had been bottled up and once more brought to the surface.

After several minutes, Elise pulled back and wiped her eyes. "The sad part about the whole thing is that I ALMOST had them! Steve and Jack were about to give up and let us all go! It was that stupid, inexperienced police sergeant who pushed Tom into panicking killing everyone. I swore then that I would do anything to prevent that from happening to anyone else. That's why I jumped at the chance to join HRT after I left the service."

"I'm so sorry Elise. I had no idea. I wish we didn't have to go tonight, but I have it on good authority that the proof we need for our client is in a ledger that Jonathan Fisher keeps in his safe. We also have to go tonight to help John and Harold keep someone safe."

Elise sighed and wiped her eyes. "I know. I'll do this. I wouldn't want anyone else to lose their life. Thanks Zoe, for listening to me. I'm so glad we met up that day."

"Me too." Zoe said, giving Elise one last hug and resuming her work on Elise's hair.

Riding up in the elevator to Zoe's apartment, Reese and Finch were barely on speaking terms. Reese was still smarting from Elise's harsh reaction to her rescue and he was angry at Finch for roping him into this part of the job. There had to be another way to get the information they needed without having to dress up and play nice. 'Play nice to that she-cat Elise who took offense to EVERYTHING that involved him? Was that even possible?' Reese snorted.

Finch calmly bided his time, letting Reese work it out in his own head in his own time. The elevator dinged as they reached Zoe's floor. Making their way to her front door, Reese reached up and rang the bell. The door was immediately answered by very vivacious Zoe, looking fantastic in a deep rose evening dress that fit her very feminine shape perfectly. She leaned over and gave Finch a kiss on the cheek and a light hug. Turning to Reese she gave him her sultriest smile and reached up and hugged him and whispered that he looked almost as good as she did.

Reese chuckled, pulled back and smiled at her as he commented, "Then I must look pretty damn good. You look beautiful as usual." Smiling with a glint in her eye, Zoe invited them in and shut the door.

Finch asked where Elise was and Zoe told them that Elise was putting the finishing touches on her outfit and would be out shortly. Very loud music was coming from the closed guest bedroom. Reese thought he heard KISS- Wanna rock and roll all night & party every day.

Finch and Reese looked at each other with a questioning look. Zoe waved them off and said "Not to worry, that's just Elise's way of dealing with the situation. She hates dressing up and going out. She's such a homebody!" Sighed Zoe.

Both Finch and Reese were dressed in haute couture evening wear ... black tuxes with snowy white shirts. Seeing both of them in a bow tie was quite a treat. 'Very dashing and debonair!' Zoe sent admiring looks their way. Every time Zoe had seen Finch he had always been dressed fit to kill, beautifully coordinated ties, handkerchief and suits with a vest. His clothes were always understated but screamed high end designers.

Reese was an especially gorgeous surprise. Zoe had seen him in a suit with a tie when they had first met. Being her driver meant he had had to dress a little more formally than his normal black suit and white shirt with no tie. But this vision of manly beauty was breathtaking! He looked manor born, the clothes fit him perfectly and he moved with such elegance that she found herself staring.

Snapping herself back to the job at hand, Zoe asked Reese to make them a drink. Reese replied with, "No thank you. I don't drink on the job and I don't think any of us should."

Zoe poo-pooed that idea and said, "One drink will NOT impair anyone and it will help loosen everybody up, something we surely need!" She looked at Reese and Finch. "We won't be drinking at the gala after all. I'm not a novice at this you know."

She looped her arm into Finch's and guided him over to a table cluttered with papers and pictures. Over her shoulder, she waved Reese over to the bar and asked him to do the honors. Pausing she turned around and smiled at Reese. "You know my favorite drink."

Zoe and Finch sat down immediately and starting talking about the different people that would be at the gala, what movers and what shakers could be expected to be there, who they should watch out for and planning how they were going to schmooze the right people.

Reese walked over to the side bar and found it well stocked. He made a vodka gimlet for Zoe and a gin and tonic for Finch. Then he paused, he had no idea what to fix for Elise. Turning to ask Zoe what he should make, he heard the guest room door open and the music got louder.

Elise came out of the room with her hands up behind her neck, trying to put on a necklace. With her head down she didn't see Reese and called out to Zoe for help. Zoe, deep in discussion with Finch, didn't look up but just said, "John will you please help her with whatever?"

Standing there with Zoe and Finch's drinks in his hands, Reese felt like he had suddenly developed tunnel vision. Everything in the room blurred out except for the vision that was Elise. There was no living room, no rock & roll music, no Finch, no Zoe...just Elise... standing there.

Elise looked up and saw Zoe seated with Finch at the table both had their heads close together and were obviously deep in discussion. Looking around she spotted Reese standing off to the side by the bar. Dressed in the black tux Reese looked someone straight out of GQ. The fit of the tux was exquisite. The lines of the tux followed his long, lean lines. Without the usual snide look on his face, she was quietly surprised at how very handsome he was. His salt and pepper hair was neatly combed with just a little bit hanging over his forehead. She felt the insane desire to brush it back into place.

Looking at Elise, Reese saw that the blue velvet gown softly followed curves that Reese had never noticed, neither in her jeans and sweater nor when he had pulled her out of that frozen crate. He'd been too busy trying to save her life to take note of ...her. Her shoulders were bare which left a lovely and enticing view of her considerable charms, especially as she was such a small woman. The blackness of her hair made the blue of her eyes glow with their own light. Her hair was flowing down from two sparkling hair combs onto her right shoulder. The loose waves stopped just above the neckline, dragging his eyes to forbidden territory. Diamond tear drop earrings hung from her ears and small tendrils curled in front of her face. He felt the urge to reach out and wind one of those curls around his fingers. He even went to so far as to stretch out his arm to do just that but the clink of the ice cubes in the glasses broke the spell that they had both been under.

They both shook off the mesmerizing moment and put back on the facade they showed the world and each other. Their respective walls were back in place.

"Well, you certainly look better with clothes on." Smirked Reese, but with a twinkle in his eye.

"WHAT? Why you... How DARE you! Don't you ever...How could you...get away from me!" Elise said in a low whisper with clenched teeth. She immediately took offense at what he said and didn't see the twinkle. Flouncing away from him, she tried again to hook the necklace and had even less luck because now her hands were shaking. Shaking with rage or embarrassment she didn't know, she just needed to get away from John Reese before she showed him just what she was capable of in close quarter combat! Their size difference would have little meaning if she struck first! And she was seriously considering it while at the same time still trying to hook the necklace.

Reese put down the drinks and walked over to Elise once again. He gently grabbed her hands and said in a quiet voice "Please allow me.

The touch of his warm hands on hers shook Elise to her core. 'Thank goodness he can't see my face!' She thought. She knew her cheeks were bright pink with agitation. 'What is wrong with me? He is just a man. An infuriating, stubborn MAN! I don't even like him! ' She screamed in her own head.

Standing behind Elise, Reese took both ends of the necklace and latched the catch securely. The wispy curls at the base of Elise's neck beckoned to him. He wondered if her hair felt as silky as it looked. He settled the necklace down onto her neck and slowly let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Stepping away from her, he turned away to compose himself. Reacting like this was foreign to him. He was used to always being in control and having the upper hand. Elise had a way of making him unsure of himself and he didn't like it!

Reese continued over to the bar and picked up Zoe and Finch's drinks, taking them over to them. Zoe and Finch were so engrossed in their conversation they didn't even notice his hands shook just a little when he sat their drinks down. Turning around to head back to the bar, he was once again in control.

Elise turned around as he approached and had a belligerent look on her face, one completely out of place with the beautiful dress and jewelry she had on. She looked like she was ready to throw down with him. Reese almost laughed at that thought but caught the warning look in her eyes and just gave a small tip of his head to signal a truce.

"What may I fix you to drink, Ms. Tate?" Reese asked formally. "Zoe seems to have a fully stocked bar at our disposal."

"I don't drink when I'm doing a job." Replied Elise, tersely.

"Neither do I, but Zoe seems to think that one drink won't hurt but rather relax us. She may have a point. So, what may I make for you?" He asked again.

Sensing that Reese was on the up and up for once, Elise finally said, "If it's all the same, I'd just as soon have a beer than a mixed drink. If it's really cold that is." Reese smiled at that, a beautiful woman, in velvet and diamonds drinking a beer. It somehow it seemed to fit Elise.

Opening the bar fridge, Reese found some beer, grabbed two and opened them. Wrapping one in a napkin he handed it to Elise. Stiffly thanking him, Elise took the beer and walked over to the table where Zoe and Finch were talking.

Hearing her approach, Finch looked around and immediately stood up. "Why Ms. Tate, you look lovely tonight! What a pleasure to have you with us. I can see Zoe's practiced eye has paid off. You are truly exquisite!"

"Thank you so much, Mr. Finch." Elise smiled at him. The rosy color came back to her cheeks and her eyes sparkled at the compliment. Glancing at Reese she said, "It's always nice to have someone compliment you." Turning back to Finch she continued. "Zoe had her hands full, but she convinced me I could pull this off. I guess we'll see!"

Turning that smile full force on Finch, Reese was surprised at the sense of jealousy he felt. He wanted her to smile like that at him. Instead, he said to her, "Who knew you could clean up so well, Elise!"

Shrugging his shoulders, he took a deep breath and shook his head. 'Where the HELL did that jealousy come from?' He wondered. He pulled on his shirt collar and wondered if the tie was too tight. Maybe his brain wasn't getting enough oxygen.

Finch got Elise and Reese's attention and outlined the plan that he and Zoe had come up with. He and Zoe would go together in the first limo. They had determined that between the two of them they were going to know almost everybody at the gala. He, with his business contacts as Harold Wren and Zoe with her social connections and under the table political knowledge, would do the schmoozing. Reese and Elise would follow in the second limo. They would determine the best time to sneak off and look for the necessary evidence. Elise made a very unladylike noise when Finch mentioned that she and Reese would be in a limo together. That was not going to happen as far as she was concerned! She didn't care what they had to say!

Seeing Elise's pretty face get that stubborn look, Zoe again was mystified at Elise's resentment about being around John. She enjoyed his company immensely and couldn't imagine why Elise fought so hard to avoid it.

Taking the upper hand, she stopped Elise before she began and explained why she and Finch needed to be together and that it would free Elise and John to handle the behind the scenes part of the job. She handed John the blue prints of the house where the gala was being held that Harold had provided.

"This should be pretty accurate. The rooms we think you'll have the best luck finding the safe are marked. Here is the combination.Here"

Zoe finally stood up and announced that the limos would be there within the next thirty minutes so they needed to hurry up and finish getting ready.

Standing in the hallway, John and Harold helped them with their wraps. Zoe turned to look in the mirror one last time. All four of them were framed in the gilded mirror and Zoe was struck by their appearance. "Oh my God, I never thought about how this would look!" She exclaimed.

"How what looks Zoe?" Asked John in a bored manner. He'd already written off most of this evening and was focusing on the job rather than the company he was in. It was safer that way.

"Look at us! Look!" Four pairs of eyes looked in the mirror and they all saw it at the same time. They looked like Mutt and Jeff two times over. Zoe was standing by Finch, her date. She was a good five to six inches taller than he was. Reese, standing by Elise was at least ten inches taller than she was.

"Well this is definitely NOT going to work, we want to fit in, not stand out!" Zoe said. "We'll just have to swap. Harold, you can be Elise's date and John you can be my date. At some point in the evening, you two can then meet up somewhere."

Reese helped Zoe into the limo and shut the door. Walking around to the other side, he glanced back at the other limo. Seeing Finch handing Elise into the backseat bothered him for some reason. Finch looked up and saw John looking his way. He paused for a moment to see if John wanted to say anything, but Reese just frowned, shook his head and turned away to get into the limo. Frowning to himself, Finch looked confused but then shook his head and got into his own limo.

After Reese got in and shut the door, Zoe slid over next to him, even though there was plenty of room for the two of them. She snuggled up close to John until she was touching him knee to knee, thigh to thigh, hip to hip and shoulder to shoulder.

This was the closest she'd ever been to John since she'd kissed him a couple of months ago as she slipped him the paperclip he later used to get out of his handcuffs. That kiss put a whole new perspective on just who John Reese was and what he might mean to her. Her respect for her 'driver' changed and she'd been interested in him ever since.

Being a little preoccupied wondering what Elise and Finch were talking about, Reese initially didn't hear Zoe's question. Zoe, wanting his full attention on her, placed her hand on his left knee and squeezed gently,

"I said, tonight we can have some fun while we work. Perhaps we can dance or stroll through the gardens a little before dinner." Snaking her arm under his she hugged it to her and asked, "You do plan to eat before you do your 'stealthy' thing don't you?"

"What? Uh yes, I thought I could slip away when they auction actually starts. Did Finch give you some money to 'play' with?' Reese said with a smile. He did enjoy Zoe's company and she certainly was a pleasure to look at. The dark red dress brought out the dark red in her hair. He was old fashioned enough to prefer his women with long hair, especially when they wore it down. Looking at Zoe's dark auburn hair, his mind drifted back to the silky black tendrils that graced another's neck. Shaking himself out of his reverie, John sat up straighter and pulled away from Zoe.

Feeling like she was being pushed out of a conversation she wasn't even a part of, Zoe pouted for a moment. Then she realized this was a perfect opportunity to find out what was going on, or not going on, between Elise and John.

"Speaking of going stealthy, have you and Elise discussed how you will proceed once you get to the second floor?" asked Zoe, sitting back and watching John very closely. She wanted to see how he reacted to talking about Elise.

"No, we didn't get a chance to discuss it in any detail. I have no idea when she plans to try and get away. Hopefully during the auction like me." he mumbled.

"You two certainly don't seem to get along very well. It seems you're always arguing over the smallest things! And what happened the other night at the warehouse? She absolutely refuses to discuss anything about that night. She gets even more stubborn than usual, if that's possible, and clams up tight. Did something happen? Did either of you get discovered, have to fight your way out or worse, kill someone?"

Zoe's question caught Reese by surprise. He leaned back in the seat and paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Turning to look at Zoe he said, "She didn't tell you what happened? She told you nothing?"

HIs memory came back to him in sharp focus...a naked, unconscious Elise in his arms before he covered her up with his coat.

Sighing, Zoe said, "Not a word. The more I questioned her, the madder she got. When she gets that look in her eyes and they actually get darker blue, well I've learned to back off. So I thought I could ask you. The two of you have to work together and you certainly can't do that if you hate each other. That will cause problems with the kind of work you do. What happened? Is it something I should know or something I can help with?"

Looking out the window of the limo, Reese realized they were almost there. Glancing back to Zoe all he said was "I don't hate Elise at all; she's VERY irritating, but I don't hate her. I think you need to get Elise to tell you what happened. She may have valid reasons she hasn't told you yet. It's not my place to say."

John's non-answer did not sit well with Zoe. She was very good at getting people to talk, to divulge things without even knowing it. But John Reese stopped her at every turn. He put the skids on almost any leading question she had asked or any point she tried to argue. She was good at what she did but John Reese was better. As John opened her door and held his hand out to her, Zoe frowned for a moment but decided that having a good time with John was infinitely more enjoyable than trying to pry information out of him. Damn if she was going to miss this golden opportunity to be seen with the handsomest man at the gala!

As Finch shut the door of the limo and walked around to the other side, Elise felt the all too familiar panic attack beginning. The sides of the spacious limo seemed to shrink, the roaring in her ears was becoming deafening, her heart rate almost doubled and she found herself gasping for air…she could almost hear Patrick's laugh. This whole night was too soon after her talk with Zoe!

The moment Finch opened the door to get in, her downward spiral stopped. The chain of events blurred into a distant memory. Getting into the limo and shutting the door, Finch looked over at Elise and was alarmed by the wildness he saw in her eyes. Reaching out, but not quite touching her, Finch whispered "Miss Tate? Miss Tate? Are you ok? Is somethi…"

Before he could finish his sentence Elise turned and looked at him. He wasn't sure she actually saw him but she grabbed his hand and held on tight. He watched as she came back to herself slowly and exhaled. She looked down and realized she that she had a death grip on his hand.

"Oh, oh, I am so sorry Mr. Finch! Did I hurt you? Please say I didn't hurt you….I'm so sorry" She began rubbing his hand to try and massage away any pain.

Finch just used his other hand to gently pat hers and told her 'I'm quite fine, Miss Tate, I'm not as delicate as I appear…kind of like you." He said with a smile.

Elise looked Finch in the eye and saw ….a friend. Someone who cared about her but wanted nothing from her. Someone she could actually trust. Smiling, she gently squeezed his hand. Looking out the window, she worked hard at trying to bring back the calm she had just moments ago, before getting into the limo. Finch saw the inward look to her eyes and knew she was reliving an obviously painful memory. Once again he was impressed with the control she seem to exhibit when under stress. There was much more to Miss Tate than met the eye.

"Please, Mr. Finch, call me Elise." Elise told him, blinking her eyes and returning to the present.

"Thank you, Elise. And, please, call me Harold." They both exchanged smiles and the sat back in the limo, each occupied with their own thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

'Holy crap!' Elise thought, her jaw dropping as she and Harold entered the mansion. The ceiling above the very large entryway supported a crystal chandelier that must have weighed several thousand pounds. It threw shards of light all over the large area and the walls glittered with rainbows. Elise then gasped and her hand on Harold's arm tightened as she took in the glittering assembly of people spread throughout the room. There were so many people! The men were all dressed in black tuxedos just as Harold and Reese were but the women remaindered her of a bunch of peacocks. There were dresses of every imaginable hue and every single woman sported some type of glittering jewels on her body and in her hair. Elise was immensely and unexpectedly grateful for Zoe's insistence that she look her best.

Harold must have heard her gasp and felt her arm tightening because he awkwardly turned his head towards her and smiled. "Don't let it get to you Ms. Tate. It's just for show. Think of all these people as…playing dress-up, like little kids. That's actually what this is about, dressing up for your friends and neighbors and bragging about how much money you have, just like children do. Very few of the people here, REALLY care what happens to others…" Harold's voice became softer and trailed off.

It was Elise's turn to re-assure him. "But YOU do Harold. I've seen it, in the way you took care of me when I needed it; the way that you help others in need. You are nothing like these people."

So softly that Elise wasn't sure she heard him, Harold whispered, "But I used to be..." And his eyes got a far-away look to them. "I used to fill my days with trivial things, just like these people. My parents expected it of my brothers and I. I spent SO MUCH time obsessing over how to make money; I didn't realize I was missing the whole point of life! Then 9/11 happened and I questioned everything I was doing. I would have been in those towers that day if it hadn't been for the fact that I was out late the night before with an old college friend. Nathan always was an idealist. We argued over that incessantly." Harold smiled but Elise saw that it didn't quite touch the sadness in his eyes. "Like many people after that day, I tried to make sense of it all and wondered what I could do. I felt lost and confused. Once again, Nathan saved me. He came up with a crazy idea. It gave me a purpose once again, one I could live with this time." Harold shook himself out of his reverie. "I'm not sure why I'm telling you all this Ms. Tate. Except that you seem rather easy to talk to."

Elise grasped Harold's hand and squeezed it. "You're a good man Harold and I feel privileged to know you. I consider you a good friend. I don't have many of those. And PLEASE call me Elise."

Harold smiled shyly and said, "I don't either Elise and I too would like to consider you a good friend. And I have something to confess, I absolutely HATE these things too."

The two of them made their way through the press of people. Elise began to relax and smile more, feeling at ease with Harold. He introduced her to a few people he knew and she began to enjoy the quick wit he showed when they asked him about his opinion on this or that topic. She knew Harold was not as comfortable with this entire social situation as he appeared and Elise was impressed with how well he hid it. Harold grabbed two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter and passed one to Elise.

"I don't drink while I'm on the job, Harold." Elise reminded him.

"Neither does Mr. Reese. Just hold it and consider it blending in." Harold suggested to her.

At the mention of Reese, Elise craned her neck and found Reese and Zoe standing about ten feet away. Reese caught her eye, raised his own glass to her and gave her one of his patented smirks. Was he mocking her? His surprise at how nice she looked earlier still smarted her feminine pride. Elise turned her back on him and tried to fight the blush she felt advancing from her shoulders, up her neck and to her face and ears. Damn! She knew his observant eyes would see it and know that he had caused it.

"He does that on purpose you know. You shouldn't let him get to you." Harold said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Elise asked in a high-pitched voice, her mind still on the infuriating Reese.

"John, he uses his face as a weapon. Usually it's to charm someone but just as often, he tries to intimidate them with a look."

"Yes, I've seen that. He doesn't intimidate you?" Elise asked.

"No, but I do respect him. I've worked with John for several months now and I've seen how he handles himself in many different situations, most of them situations that any sane person would run from in a heartbeat. Not John though. I've come to realize that he always has two guiding principles that shape what he does: one, he takes his responsibilities and duties seriously and two, he can't help but stick up for those who can't stick up for themselves. It's just in his nature. Don't get me wrong, John has a closet-full of demons to exorcise, but he never strays from those ideals."

"Demons? That usually implies guilt. What does he have to feel guilty about?" Elise couldn't help but picture all sorts of scenarios in her mind but none of them had Reese doing anything really, morally wrong.

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask him about that Elise. It's his story to tell. But as I said, I'm not intimidated by John in the least, though he LIKES to think so and I suppose I haven't done a lot to discourage that." Harold chuckled a little as they continued on towards the dining area.

"He sneaks around, trying to be quiet and he thinks he can sneak up on me. He hasn't quite figured out that I have cameras and motion sensors all around the building and I know the minute he comes anywhere near the library." Elise giggled a little at the thought of big, bad Mr. Reese being out smarted by little, innocuous, Harold.

"There was this one time," Harold smiled. "He thought he'd sneak up on me and I decided that I'd turn the tables on him. John came in, saw that he was alone and started his usual snooping. I then sat down at the computer and when he came back into the room, he couldn't figure out where I had come from." Harold leaned over and whispered conspiratorially, "I think it bothered him that I was able to appear out of nowhere, just like HE does!" Harold winked at Elise. "When he asked where I had been, I told him that I had breached the space-time continuum. Oh you should have SEEN the look on his face, Elise!" Both of them laughed out loud and were just about to take their seats at the table when Reese and Zoe walked by. Seeing Reese, Elise pictured the oh-so confident, arrogant man with a bewildered look on his face and burst out laughing even harder. Reese turned to give Elise a puzzled look and she just smirked back at him, causing him to frown. Two could play at this game! She thought.

Throughout the rest of the gala, Elise kept surreptitiously glancing at Reese at the next table over. As much as she tried, she could not contain her occasional chuckles. It didn't help that every time she laughed, his ears would turn red. He KNEW she was laughing at him and that made things even funnier because for once he couldn't immediately come back with some smarmy remark! She smiled to herself enjoying herself much more than she'd thought she would.

Reese tried very hard to focus on his diner companions while also deciding the best way to go about seeking the information they needed, but every time he heard Elise laugh at the table next to them, he got a little bit angrier. What exactly was Harold telling her that was making her laugh so much? He had never heard her laugh that much while in his company. He tried to tell himself he wasn't jealous of Finch, he was just mad that she was drawing so much attention to herself and therefore jeopardizing their investigation. But deep down, he knew it wasn't true. Well, two could play at that game! Reese leaned over and said something amusing to Zoe. Her loud peel of laughter made him smile when he realized Elise MUST have been able to hear it. He did it again and again Zoe laughed at him, this time putting her hand on his arm. Reese could barely suppress the urge to glance at Elise to see if she was hearing and seeing him flirting with Zoe.

Elise looked over at the table where Reese and Zoe were sitting when she heard Zoe's laughter. She watched as Zoe placed her hand on Reese's arm and then Elise blushed as Zoe leaned over and whispered in Reese's ear. She knew Zoe was interested in Reese, Elise just wasn't sure why she cared or why she felt like going over to their table and removing Zoe's hand from Reese. I'm happy for Zoe; that she and Reese seem to be getting along so well, Elise told herself. I need to focus on this job and forget Reese and Zoe.

The master of ceremonies started to announce the beginning of the silent auction. There was a list of items available for bidding on each of the tables. The MC encouraged people to make their largest bid on whichever items appealed to them. At the end of the night, the winners with the largest bids would be announced.

As Harold wrote in bids on several items, Elise noticed Reese signaling her. Apparently he wanted them both to slip off when the bids were collected. Elise nodded her head ever so slightly and once everyone at the table had made their bids, she excused herself and took the bids over to the table to be tallied. She walked in the direction of the bathrooms but rather than enter, she stood off to the side, as if waiting for someone in the bathrooms. Two minutes later, Reese appeared next to her.

"Took you long enough." Elise hissed at him. Reese frowned at her but just motioned for them to move up the grand staircase. In case anyone was watching, Reese reached over and grabbed Elise's hand in his and leaned in towards her as if they were sharing a secret and were sneaking off for some privacy.

"Giggle a little please. We need to fool everyone into thinking that we're going upstairs for a tryst." Reese whispered in her ear.

Elise tried for a little giggle but even to her ears, it sounded weak. Well, she was NOT the giggling type first off and second, Reese's warm hand wrapped around hers was very distracting.

As soon as they were out of sight, Reese let out a breath and said, "That was a terrible giggle. Anyone with half a brain who heard that wouldn't have been fooled for a second!"

"Thanks," Elise replied sarcastically. "Next time, YOU do the giggling then! Or better yet, get Zoe to come up here with you and she can giggle away." Elise was embarrassed that she let Reese see her pique at the show that he and Zoe had put on downstairs. What was it about this man that brought out her worst side? "Gah! I'm going to check the rooms on this side of the hall, you get those. Call me if you find anything."

Reese was tempted to tell her that NO, he'd get this side and SHE could get the other but as he had no good reason for it, he held his tongue. He was surprised at Elise's next words.

Elise took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. Let's just get this done." Reese nodded and they both went their separate ways.

Elise was just entering the third room in her search when she suddenly felt a presence behind her an instant before a hand snaked out and caught her from behind and then a knife was pressed against her throat. "Be quiet or I'll slit your throat here and now!" A harsh voice spoke in her ear. "Ted, get over here and put the handcuffs on her!"

Elise gasped when she recognized the name and then groaned. Damn it, twice in the same week she had been taken by surprise! Where was her mind? She was making rookie mistakes for God's sakes! Her thoughts were pulled back to the present though: when she felt her hands being tightly cuffed behind her back. She heard a rip and then a piece of duct tape was placed over her mouth.

"The boss was REALLY angry to find out we failed to get rid of you the last time." The man who must have been Ted's partner, Jeff said. "We didn't know then that you were working with someone else. Now, you're gonna help us catch him."

Elise felt hands around her throat and when they withdrew, she had a very small but tight chain around her neck. From it, dangled a handcuff key presumably to the pair she was currently wearing.

"Sit over there in that chair. I'll be hiding on the balcony over here while we wait for your friend to arrive, but in the meantime I'm going to have a gun pointed in your direction, so don't try any funny stuff!" Jeff told her.

Twenty minutes later, Reese was done searching the rooms on his side of the hallway. He wondered where the hell Elise was. She must have found the safe but just hadn't felt like calling him. Damn the woman! He walked to her end of the hall and started opening doors, calling for her in the darkened rooms. A few doors, down, he thought he heard the sound of a shoe scrapping across the floor. "Elise?" He called, moving further into the room. Suddenly, all his senses began to scream danger to him.

"She's here buddy, just waitin' for ya to come and save her. Too bad you won't get the chance this time! Now don't try anything or I'll blow her brains out." A man walked towards Elise who Reese could see was bound and gagged in a chair in front of them. "My associate is going to handcuff you now and then we'll have to see 'bout your friends downstairs."

In the faint light coming in through the balcony doors, Reese could see tears glistening on Elise's cheeks. He immediately saw red. If these men harmed a hair on her head, they were dead. He had no choice but to allow himself to be cuffed with his hands behind his back but he studied the faces of the two men so that when he saw them again, he would be able to recognize them and more importantly make sure they DIDN'T enjoy the meeting.

Suddenly, a cell phone rang in the quiet. The larger man who had just cuffed him, answered it. "Yeah boss? Yeah we got two of 'em, the woman from the warehouse and the guy who helped her. Ok. Yeah. Ok boss, we'll be right there." And the man hung up.

"Boss wants us downstairs NOW! The other two have gone missing." He explained to the thinner man.

"Damn it! Alright. These two should be okay while we hunt down those others. They couldn't have gone too far."

As soon as the two men left the room and locked the door behind them, Reese turned around and used his hands to pull the duct tape off Elise's mouth, his fingers brushing against her cheeks, wet with tears. He turned around to look down at her.

"Elise honey, are you ok?"

"Yes John. I'm so sorry I got us into this. I swear they knew we were coming and I never heard them until it was too late. I'm so sorry; and now they're going to have Harold and Zoe as well!" Elise's eyes filled with a fresh round of tears thinking about poor Harold and even Zoe at the mercy of these guys.

"Elise, calm down. You were trained better than this. We are not going to let anything happen to Harold or Zoe. Now think, what can we do to get out of these cuffs?"

Elise sniffed and realized he was right. She stopped crying immediately and said, "They left a key around my neck. I think it was an insurance policy meant to lure you in to help free me if the gun thing didn't work. I think it opens the cuffs."

"That's a girl!" Reese turned around and started to reach for the key around her neck. "This might hurt for a second but I'll be quick, I promise." He jerked the key off her neck but it slipped out of his hands and fell downwards. "Shit! I lost it! Do you see it?"

"Um. No. I know where it is though." She spoke reluctantly.

"Where, Elise?"

"It.. it fell down the front of my dress. Let me see if I can get it out." Elise leaned forward, hoping to dislodge the key from between her breasts. After a minute, she had to admit to defeat. "It won't come out!" She wailed.

"Alright, sit back down on the chair. I'll get it." Reese directed her.

"WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU ARE NOT PUTTING YOUR HANDS ON ME THERE!"

"Elise, we don't have a choice here. We need to get out of here and find Harold and Zoe. I'm sorry. I…I won't…." Reese's voice trailed off. There was nothing he could say that would make this any better for her. "Please." He asked simply.

"Oh my God! I can't believe this is happening! Ok, be quick before I change my mind."

Reese backed up close to Elise and tentatively reached his hand down her dress. As he was feeling for the key, he couldn't help but appreciate how soft her skin was. He tried not to touch her breasts but couldn't help brushing the edge of her nipples a few times. A part of his brain registered that they were starting to harden into little peaks. Damn! His body began reacting to hers and he was glad that she couldn't see the front of his pants.

Meanwhile, Elise's face was flaming red. She couldn't believe she had agreed to this, not that she'd had much choice. Several times, his gentle fingers swept against her nipples and they puckered in response. She couldn't decide if the moan she bit back was because she was so embarrassed or because….she liked it.

As Reese dug his large hand further down into her dress, Elise felt the key shift and suddenly it was lower. It slipped down between her breasts but lodged itself closer to her belly button. The full corset lingerie that she was wearing was so snug that it kept the key from sliding down any further. "Reese, stop!" Elise gasped out.

"Elise, I'm sorry but I've got to get this key…"

"NO! Stop! John stop!"

"What is it Elise?" He asked, withdrawing his hand.

"The key shifted and now it's lower. You'll never reach it." She squeaked out.

"How much lower?"

"Um… it's down near my belly button."

Reese paused and then said, "Can you shake it out?"

"No," Elise whimpered. "This damn lingerie is too snug."

Reese thought for a second. He knew she wasn't going to like this. Hell he didn't like this idea either after the way his body was responding to hers. "Elise….. Elise, you're gonna have to let me get it out from below, honey."

Elise thought she was going to pass out. The thought of Reese having to go…down….under her dress…" Elise didn't think she could stand on her own two feet just thinking about it.

"Elise?" Reese questioned softly after he got no response. "Elise? Are you alright honey?"

"No." Elise said so quietly, Reese had to move closer to hear her. "I don't think I can do this John."

"Yes you can. Come here. Come on, you're a strong woman, baby. You CAN do this." Reese knelt down in front of her. "Now, put your leg up on my shoulder so I can get under your dress. Come on, Elise. You can do this."

Elise closed her eyes and did as he told her. She felt exposed as her dress fell down her thigh, and one of her garters and stockings could be seen. She almost jumped when she felt John's lips and teeth on her belly. He was trying to grab the lower edge of her lingerie to pull it away from her body so the key would fall out. He missed several times and she felt his nose and soft lips against her skin. Oh God! Despite the fact that she was mortified about having him under her dress, her skin where he was touching felt like it was on fire. His teeth grazed her again and her knees almost buckled.

Without warning, the door opened and the light from the hallway framed the figures of Zoe and Harold.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Harold's eyes widened as he took in the scene. Zoe gasped and took a step forward. Meanwhile hearing the door open, John backed out from under Elise's dress, prepared to fight for their lives as best he could handcuffed as he was.

He saw who it was and let out the breath he'd been holding. "Finch your timing is, as always, perfect." Harold's eyes just widened further at that. "Zoe, can you please come over here and get the key out from under Elise's clothes?"

"Is that what you were doing just now, John?" Zoe asked in a strangled voice. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. The shock of seeing John underneath Elise's dress when he wouldn't even let her touch him, shook her to the core.

"What do you mean, Zoe? Look we have to get out of here before we are discovered here. Please come help Elise."

Zoe approached Elise, her eyes taking in Elise's flushed face. Elise couldn't meet her eyes and Zoe once again wondered at the relationship between Elise and John. She vowed that when this was over, she was going to pin Elise down about what was going on between her and John.

"Turn around Elise." Zoe told her so that Harold and John wouldn't see. "Where is the key?"

"Under the darn boustierre you made me wear." Elise answered quietly but without the usual heat her words would imply. "Near my belly button. Just pull the thing away from me and the key should fall out."

Within minutes, Elise and John had been freed and they were all getting ready to leave. "I'll catch up with you in a second." Reese told them. "I still have to find that evidence."

"You mean this?" Finch held up a small journal. "Ms. Morgan and I found it while looking for you two. We'll turn it over to Detective Carter tonight and Jonathan Fisher will be arrested before he can cause any more trouble."

"So we are done here right? I can go home and take this damn stuff off?" Elise almost begged. After tonight and the confusing feelings she was having, Elise just wanted to get as far from John Reese as she could, as fast as she could. Zoe and Harold smiled, knowing how much she had hated tonight but Reese just frowned.

Elise was surprised when Harold called the first time and asked her if she would like to meet him in a nearby park. They both had tea and talked about some of the classics of British literature. Not once did Harold mention Reese to her as she had been afraid he would and Elise found herself more and more at ease with the short, brilliant man. Elise really enjoyed the hour away from all the stress of the jobs she and Zoe worked and Harold must have felt the same way because he called her to meet twice more in the next five weeks. Elise came to look forward to those hours, even as intermittent as they were, where she could go back to feeling like a normal person.

For his part, Harold was glad that he had finally found someone with whom he could converse and not have to watch every word he said. He hadn't had a friend like this since Nathan was killed and knowing how rare it was for him to be able to connect with someone, made him treasure the friendship with Elise all the more. Harold had never been a social butterfly. He held his own, just barely, in the social settings he was forced by his parents to endure, but he always went straight back to his books and computers afterwards. Having conversations with someone who enjoyed reading as much as he did, was a bright spot in his life.

On one occasion, Harold and Elise were sitting in a coffee shop when Harold's phone started beeping at him with a loud urgency. Harold blanched and looked around, his eyes wildly searching for something. Elise had never seen the older man react like this and automatically reached for her gun.

"Harold, what is it? What's wrong?" She asked, scanning the crowds for any sign of danger.

"She's…..she's here…" He whispered, looking more and more agitated.

"Who's here? Harold I can protect you, tell me who I'm looking for!"

"I have to get out of here, now! I can't let her see me! I can't!" Harold almost wailed.

"Ok. Harold. Let's go." Elise got up and quickly grabbed Harold's arm and pulled him towards the back of the coffee shop. Elise led him to a fire escape door and she jammed a knife up into the alarm mechanism. They were just about to exit when Harold gasped and his eyes widened further. Elise immediately shoved him behind her and looked towards the front of the store where Harold had been looking. A red-haired woman entered and smiled at the barista as she placed her order. Elise didn't need to see any more and she shoved Harold out the door and they exited into the alley.

"Harold? Who was she?" Elise asked softly.

"She's…. I had to…... If anyone …" Harold looked as if he was about to lose it, giving Elise her first clue about her. The look of pain in Harold's eyes she recognized all too well; she'd seen it many times before in her own eyes before she stopped looking at herself in the mirror altogether.

Elise grabbed ahold of Harold's shoulders and looked him right in the eyes. "Look at me Harold." He reluctantly focused on her face. "I understand." And she nodded her head once. Under her hands, she could feel him sag with relief. "Now, you need to get back to the library and I need to get back and see what Zoe has for me."

Harold took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and said to her very earnestly. "Elise, if you ever need me, you need only call."

Elise smiled at him and they both walked out of the alley and went their separate ways.

Elise was just finishing up a job for a client when her phone rang. Looking at the caller id that said number unknown, Elise knew it was Harold. "Hi Harold! Where shall we meet this time?"

"I'm afraid that this isn't a social call Miss Tate. Mr. Reese and I could use your help." Harold replied in a serious tone of voice.

"Ok, what's up?" While dreading working with Reese again, Elise didn't even think about telling Harold no.

"We need you and Ms. Morgan to identify some clients of a psychologist we think is in danger. I'm sending the pictures over to you now."

"Got them. I'm going over to Zoe's and we'll get back to you when we have something for you."

"Thanks, Elise. I know you and Ms. Morgan will be a great help."

"Zoe!" Elise called when she entered the apartment. "Finch called, he…."

"Yes, he called here too." Zoe interrupted her. "I've divided up the photos. If you can locate these men," She asked, handing Elise a set of four photos, "I'll take these others."

"Ok, be safe Zoe!" Elise said hugging her before walking out. She and Zoe had become much closer since that ill-fated night at the gala several weeks ago. Honestly, it was a relief to have someone else who knew about Patrick.

Two hours later, Elise was on the phone with Zoe. "Ok, two of these guys are just average bored rich guys who have more money than brains, but these other two…One is David Sarkeesian, a city councilman who has a problem keeping it in his pants. The other interns in his office all know he's sleeping with his intern, Ms. Jordan. It's only a matter of time before one of them outs him to his wife, I'm guessing by the amount of jealousy I encountered. The other is Terrance Baxter, works at One State Bank. Apparently he's been playing fast and loose with the bank's investments. My contact at the SEC tells me he's being quietly investigated for running a Ponzi scheme. I'm going to dig a little deeper into their financials. Are you going to get in touch with Finch and Reese and let them know what we've found?"

"Yes, I'm meeting Reese in a few minutes. He's tailing his mark and can't break off without knowing the danger to her."

"Ok well, enjoy yourself and don't tell him I said 'hi'." Elise said flatly and hung up the phone.

Several hours later, Elise's phone rang with an unlisted number. Expecting to hear Harold's voice on the other end, Elise was shocked to hear Reese address her instead.

"Elise? Elise, I need your and Zoe's help." His voice sounded strained on the other end.

She didn't hesitate a second before asking, "You've got it John, what is it?" She was totally unprepared for his next words.

"Harold's been taken."

"WHAT?" Elise practically shouted into the phone. "Who took him? Where are you?"

"The psychologist we were helping. She took the hit out on herself to lure Harold out. She's been after Harold all this time and I…Damn! I never saw it!"

"There's time enough for that later, John. Tell me where you are and we'll get him back."

Reese, Zoe and Elise all met at the library and Reese explained to the two what had happened. "I received some intel that Finch was being held in an abandoned office building in the Bronx but when I got there, they were gone. All I could find was one of Finch's cuff links. He must have left it there for me to find." Reese shook his head. This woman, the one who took him, she MUST be the hacker that Finch ran into when you were helping us with Congressman Delancey's assassination. That's the only way I can think of that she would know exactly how to lure Harold out. I just wish I knew for sure. We can't afford the time and effort of going in the wrong direction."

"What was the hacker's name, Reese?" Elise asked.

"Hmm, can't quite recall. Let me think… tree…leaf...oh, root. That's what it was. Root."

"Root?" Zoe exclaimed. "That was the word that kept coming up as Turring's computer wiped itself!"

"Well then, I guess that confirms it, the hacker is the one who took Harold. But why?" Elise asked.

Reese was uncomfortable with the direction of Elise's questioning. He knew Harold would still not want anyone else to know of the Machine, so he tried to redirect her thoughts. "No idea, Elise we need to weapon up here. How comfortable are you with a Sig P226?"

"I've used those before, nice gun. But Reese, her motivation here might be the key to finding Harold. After all if she's a hacker, she has the same skill set as Harold. There would be no reason for her to take Harold unless she was taking….out…..a rival…." Elise blanched and her voice trailed off.

Despite not wanting to tell them about the Machine, Reese thought it would be cruel to make Elise think that Harold had no chance, that maybe he was already dead. He'd seen how much Elise meant to Harold and he could see the feeling was mutual. For a brief second, he was jealous but then he pushed that feeling aside and said, "No Elise, that's not it. I'm pretty sure that she thought Harold knew something that she wanted information on. At least that's what Harold hinted at." Reese tried to be as truthful but as vague as possible.

"Well, at least that's something. Ok, so he wasn't where you were told he would be. Any chance you'll get more information from the same source?"

"Yes, who is your source?" Zoe inquired, eager to help. All the talk of weapons made her a bit uncomfortable. Sure she could shoot a pistol, but a sniper rifle? No way but she didn't want Reese to think she was useless in this situation. "Maybe I can persuade them in ways you can't." She hinted to Reese.

"Um, no one you know Zoe. It's a brand new player to the scene." Reese HAD to get them away from this line of thought! Just then his phone beeped. Looking at the display, it contained the license plate number. Thank God! He finally had another lead to follow courtesy of his new "partner".

"Are either of you good with computers?" Both women shook their heads. "Ok, I'll do this the hard way then. Give me a few minutes. Let's hope I'm right about the vehicle they used to move Harold."

Reese sat down at a desk and dialed a number on his phone. After a pause, he spoke in a very matter of fact tone of voice, "Yes, this is Detective Stills, NYPD, badge number 98682. I need some GPS tracking info please on a Dodge van plate number HGP- 8340. Yes, I'll hold."

Reese covered the speaker and said to the women. "Every car that has On-star records the location of the vehicle every five minutes. The police have often used that data to catch criminals by seeing if they've been near the victim, to check places they frequent etc. I have it on good faith that Root rented a van recently. There's only one reason she'd need a van."

"Yes, I'm here. Thank you. Please send the information to this phone number. Thank you." Reese hung up. "Ok ladies, time to go get Harold back."

They all grabbed their weapon of choice and hurried out, eager to find Harold Finch.

Harold's mind raced. He had a hard time focusing with a gun pointed at him. He absolutely HATED guns. Twice now, he'd seen someone shot in front of him, point blank. He was looking in their eyes when the shot snuffed out their lives. He saw the…. Harold stopped this line of thought. It was getting him nowhere and he HAD to think of a way to get out of this or let John know where he was.

Harold looked around him and noticed the dilapidated condition of the warehouse. It looked old, very old; too old to contain any cameras apparently. Of course Root would have thought of that, knowing what she did about the Machine. 'How the heck did she figure out how we work?' Harold wondered. She wasn't in his system for that long, that time he let her in! It further unnerved him that she was able to worm her way past his defenses even though he had thoroughly checked things after their encounter.

"Well Harold, we are almost ready to have our little talk." Root purred from behind him. "We just have one more move to make to fool your Machine."

Harold frowned. They had been moving every six hours, trying to stay ahead of whomever might have found their location. Root was almost as paranoid as he was in that respect. She always moved them to a place with no surveillance capabilities.

A new van pulled up and another man he had never seen before jumped out. "Everything you need is in here, boss." He motioned to the back of the van.

Just then, two more identical vans pulled up. 'Hmm, she's playing the shell game.' Harold thought to himself. He knew it wouldn't fool John but it WOULD eat up valuable time trying to locate the real van he was in.

"Alright, get him in the box in the van." Root told the original man.

Harold was hauled to his feet, his hands still tied behind his back. The rough treatment was beginning to aggravate his spine injury. He was pushed up into the van and lay on his side next to a wooden box. They couldn't be thinking of putting him in there?

Sure enough, the man jumped up into the van beside him and then picked him up and put him inside the box. Root entered the van and leaned over the lip of the box. "Don't worry Harold, this won't be a long trip. But we can't have John finding us and interrupting our time together." She nodded to the man who placed the lid over the top and nailed it down but not tightly. There was enough of an air space between the lid and the box so that he could see a crack of light around the edge. Minutes later, the van started moving. Every time they hit a bump, Harold was jolted against the box and he groaned as his neck and back began to feel as though they were on fire.

Finally after what seemed like forever, the van stopped and Harold tried to ascertain where they were. It almost sounded like….water? Was that a seagull he heard? The box was suddenly shifted from the van floor and Harold felt himself being carried. When he was once again set down on a flat surface, he could feel a gentle rocking underneath him. He was on a boat. The realization that the Machine and subsequently John, would not be able to find him out on open water had him panicking. He tried to kick the box and yell but heard a gun being cocked up next to the box.

"Harold, be quiet." Root spoke in a low voice. "We wouldn't want you to get shot. There are no doctors where we are going."

Harold could feel the panic rising. He knew he'd have to hold on as long as he could. John would find him. Root might be good, but John was better.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"I am sick and damn tired of these wild goose chases we've been on." growled Reese. "We're being led around by our nose like rats in a maze."

"We WILL find Harold tonight! This is the best intel we've had since he was taken." said Elise. They had been searching for Harold for several days now. A few times, they had come close but each time they were just a little too late.

Elise and Reese were methodically checking their equipment, hand guns, machine guns (need some technical names here), teargas grenades, all the tools of their respective 'trades'. Since joining John in his search for Finch, the two of them had maintained a respectful working relationship. Any outside thoughts were quickly squashed because of the seriousness of their endeavor. They were all feeling the loss of Harold Finch.

Reese was consumed with the need to save the man who had saved him. He owed Finch so much that he could never repay. Their relationship had progressed to the point of almost, but not quite, complete trust. It was that lack of COMPLETE trust that was preventing him from having total access to the Machine and its ability to decipher probabilities of where Root may have taken Finch. Over and over in his mind, Reese replayed moments where Finch had been there, with the right answer, at the right time when helping him and their POI. Now Finch needed him and he was feeling blind and helpless. At least he had Zoe and her contacts and Elise with her abilities to alleviate some of his angst. Harold was the first person in a very long time that he actually felt close to. He had not confided everything to Harold but he knew Harold probably already knew everything. It was Harold's reticence to use that information against him that brought Reese to the understanding of just what a true friend meant. A true friend saw you with all your failings and ugliness but still called you friend. After all he had done in his life, John Reese didn't believe in himself but Harold Finch believed in him and that was enough reason to move Heaven and Earth to find the man.

Kicking himself over and over for falling for Root's tricks that LET Harold get taken he was getting angrier by the minute...yet again. As he was checking the chambers of his guns, the magazines of the automatics, the number of grenades, each motion was getting more and more violent until he was slamming the grenades into the backpack. Elise reached over and laid her hand on his arm to try and calm him. He snatched his arm away and glared at her, causing her to step back. Immediately he felt contrite, seeing the pain in her eyes.

He knew that Elise was also feeling the pain of missing Harold. He'd noticed they had gotten quite close before he was taken. His pride never allowed him to ask Finch about their relationship.

"Sorry." He muttered. It was the best response he could give her at the moment. Turning away he walked over to Zoe to check out the final plan for tonight's rescue...attempt. Reese hated thinking like that but after two failed attempts he didn't want to jinx their chances of success tonight.

Watching Reese walk away, Elise was torn between being angry and empathetic, two very different feelings. But John Reese tended to illicit that type of response from her all the time. And it was wearing on her nerves which were frayed almost to breaking. She missed Harold so much. She needed him. She needed his warmth, his sweetness, his wide range of interests, his intuitive nature that made talking to him so easy. She realized that he had become a very important part of her life and now there was a gaping hole where there had been love, friendship and respect.

Keeping herself apart from others had become second nature in the last couple of years. Part of her had been taken with the loss of Patrick, another part had been taken with the loss of Tim. What was left of her was carefully guarded and kept hidden. She hadn't even opened up to Zoe until the night of the gala, and they had known each other and worked together for two years. But being able to actually talk about Patrick to Zoe had felt so right. Maybe that was the beginning of her being able to respond to Harold's overtures of friendship. Normally she would have kept him at arms' length with no personal conversations. But he'd seen her pain, never said a word but gave her strength with his unspoken compassion. The worlds he had opened up were a new beginning for her. There was life going on around her and she was finally feeling a part of it. He helped her stretch her mind and listened intently when she voiced an opinion. Her respect and admiration for him grew with every encounter but she hadn't realized that love for this special man was the reward for being his friend until he was gone. They just HAD to get him back tonight!

Walking Reese through the steps they'd decided on for tonight's endeavor, Zoe was again reminded how important one man had become to three, very different people. Her admiration for Finch had grown each time she worked with him. He was wealthy, she knew that, he was intelligent, she knew that too, but it was his natural shyness that drew her to him. At times he seemed like more of a spectator than a participant in their dealings together but he had proven more than once that he was quick on his feet and more than willing to get physically involved, even with his limitations. Zoe also recalled noticing that his paranoia was barely held in check at times. She couldn't quite tell what set off warning bells for him, just that they were there. He'd get very agitated and panicky and his movements became even more stilted when trying to move quickly. But he also seemed very confident in John's ability to get the job done no matter what. Zoe knew that there was a lot to John Reese that Harold knew and she had always hoped she'd be able to pry some information out of Harold that she had not been able to get from John himself. But Harold had always been so close mouthed about John and his past.

It was very important to all of them to get Harold back and their very best chance was going to be tonight. Root had finally made a mistake...

Arriving at the warehouse, Zoe coasted into the shadows with the headlights off. Elise reached up and turned off the overhead light before opening the door. Walking around to the back of the car she found Reese already pulling their gear out of the trunk. Quietly checking their weapons one more time, they both bucked up the holsters and snapped on the Kevlar vests. Elise was amazed at Harold's ability to buy top of the line, military grade equipment. Thoughts of Harold started coming to mind and they made Elise almost moan out loud with grief. Reese looked at her sharply so she knew she hadn't completely suppressed the sound. She had to keep the mission ahead in focus and not let anything distract her! With a slight shake of her head, she pushed any thoughts not related to the job ahead, into the back of her mind.

Both Elise and Reese were dressed from head to toe in black with ski-masks pulled up over their faces so that all that could be seen was their eyes. Slipping out of the front seat, Zoe met them at the back of the car. At her approach, they both turned toward her with guns drawn. Holding her hands up, Zoe spoke quickly, "Hey, I'm a friendly!" She was struck by two pairs of very blue eyes coldly staring out at her. With her hair hidden in the cap, Elise was like a miniature version of Reese.

"Sorry Zoe, we're all a little edgy" Elise said quietly. Reese and Elise finished checking their weapons and shouldered their respective backpacks. Once done, the three of them did a check of the ear buds for their 3-way communications. Everything was set. They stood there facing each other, three very different people drawn together by one man whose life was in their hands.

Senses on high alert, Reese and Elise entered the warehouse. Reese swept to the left and Elise swept to the right. "Clear." Elise heard the whispered word in her ear. "Clear." Reese heard the word in his ear. The two advanced in tandem, automatically covering each other. Their similar backgrounds allowed them to work in perfect rhythm with little or no talking. Elise didn't even realize it at the time, but she began trusting Reese at that moment, trusting him to have her back, just as she had trusted her teammates on HRT. When she looked back on it later, it was the one moment that allowed the rest to follow…

They had almost swept all the small rooms on their side of the warehouse when all hell suddenly broke loose. Elise had only a split second to note the red laser beam targeting Reese before gunshots rang out. Everything moved in slow motion from then on. Reese took a shot in the chest but the Kevlar vest obviously stopped the bullet because he dropped down behind a column and returned fire. Elise had no more free time to spare as she returned fire in the direction that the shots had originally come from. As she did, the muzzle flash from her rifle drew answering fire from two new locations in the warehouse in front of them. She felt the burn on her arm indicating that a bullet had connected but as she retained use of the arm, she knew it wasn't bad. She continued to duck and cover, never shooting from the same position but it seemed to her that there were many, many more shooters on the other side of the warehouse than she and Reese would be able to handle. She tried to count the different muzzle flashes, but knew that her count of twelve could be inaccurate if the shooters were moving around just as she and Reese were. Where had all these men come from? This MUST have been an ambush, Elise just prayed that Harold was not here and caught in the crossfire. To be so close only to have him perish would kill her!

"Reese! We're really outnumbered here!" Elise shouted into the radio, not sure if he could hear her over the gunfire.

"Fall back, Elise. I'll cover you." Was his reply. "Harold can't….."

Elise's radio went suddenly silent and she stopped hearing the sound of Reese's rifle shots behind her.

"Reese!" She shouted. "Zoe! Get in here now! I need help!"

Elise backtracked to where she had last seen Reese and found him lying on the floor, blood covering his face. "NO!" She screamed and checked for a pulse. More shots rang out from across the warehouse but they were sporadic now with no one returning fire. "Zoe! Reese has been shot!" Elise shouted into the radio, only to feel Zoe appear at her side moments later.

"Oh my God, Elise! Is he dead?" Zoe whispered in a broken voice.

"No, but I can't tell how badly he's shot. We need to get him out of here so I can examine him but I can't move him myself, he's too heavy!"

She and Zoe grabbed ahold of Reese's vest around the shoulders and hauled him over behind some crates. Both of them were panting with the effort of pulling Reese's dead weight around and both of them were silently praying that he was not going to die.

With Reese safely behind the crates in the warehouse, Zoe and Elise took a second to check out their tactical situation. There seemed to be fewer spots were gunfire was coming from due to Elise's expert marksmanship, but still too many to drag Reese any further. Elise asked Zoe to continue to return fire so that the other shooters would stay back while she examined Reese.

Kneeling down, Elise began a very thorough but quick examination of Reese, checking for any wounds other than the bad one she could see on his shoulder and the scary one on the right side of his head. Gently feeling along his hairline she breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was a graze. It caused a lot of bleeding all over his face but was not fatal by any means. Methodically working her way down his body she found that there were only those two wounds. But his blood loss and unconscious state had her worried. Her first aid training kicked into high gear and she was able to stop most of the bleeding for the time being. Field dressing the wounds allowed her mind to check off what they needed to do and what they needed to do fast. An unconscious Reese was going to be a major problem when trying to get out of this hellhole they'd found themselves in.

Zoe was not a lot of help but she held her own. The guns and the blood and the noise were far away from the boardrooms, restaurants and bars where she normally did her job. She'd kept her head and came running when she heard Elise call for help, never stopping to think about how SHE could help Elise. It took everything she had to not scream when she saw John bleeding and unconscious. Elise made it clear that she was calling the shots and that they needed to get him to safety immediately. Forgetting that there were people actually trying to kill her and Elise, she and Elise grabbed Reese and pulled him fifteen feet to safety. Once there she sat back on her heels and watched as Elise took control of the situation. No emotion showed on her face while she checked John's injuries. The only sound she made was when the head wound turned out not to be as serious as it appeared. Zoe was amazed at how calm and cool and detached Elise seemed to be. Here was someone they both knew, badly injured and yet Elise looked like she was caring for a stranger. She supposed Elise really didn't care for John after all.

The gun shots were getting fewer and fewer as the shooters ran out of ammo. Elise used Reese's gun to fire off a couple more rounds and took two more down. The others kept up a half-hearted volley of bullets keeping them boxed in.

"We're going to need some help to get out of here. We can't drag him half way back through this warehouse to the car. He's too heavy and I don't think our friends over there really want to let us leave. Any suggestions about what we should do?" Elise asked over her shoulder between shots.

Zoe looked around and knew Elise was right. They needed some help and they needed it quickly. "What about those cops John said they were working with? Maybe we can call them for help." Zoe mused.

Elise sat back down for a moment and looked at Zoe. Getting help was going to be mandatory but using the police? But Reese appeared to trust at least two of them. Reaching over she pulled his phone out of his pocket. She'd felt it when she'd checked him for more injuries. Turning it on, she checked the address book. There were only had 5 entries: ET, ZM, DC and DF and one that read BIRD. She knew ET was her, and ZM was Zoe but DC and DF? Perhaps Finch was BIRD? But why not just call him HF? Elise was puzzled but set aside the question as she didn't have time for it.

Elise blushed when she remembered the cop's name. Detective Carter was the one who had seen her in the back of Reese's car that time...naked. And then she remembered Detective Fusco who caught them when she had her legs wrapped around Reese's...head. Taking a deep breath and pushing those memories back down as far as she could, she dialed Detective Carter.

"What is it this time John? You know I'm still cleaning up your…. WAS THAT A GUNSHOT I JUST HEARD?" Detective Carter spoke so quickly and so fiercely, that it was a second before Elise could get tell her the reason she was calling.

"Detective Carter, this is Elise Tate. John and I need your help. We were ambushed by a group of perps in a warehouse in the Bronx. John is down and my partner and I are pinned down here. Please, we need your help."

"I'm on my way. Where are you? How bad is John hurt?"

Elise gave her the address and told her she didn't know about John. He'd lost a lot of blood but his pulse seemed strong.

"Ok, hold on. Fusco and I are close. We'll be there in ten minutes." Carter disconnected the call and in between returning the sporadic fire, Elise told Zoe that the two cops were on their way.

Paul Gardner couldn't believe he had come to this. Here we was, taking fire from an unexpected source and his group was quickly running out of ammo. Back in his FBI days, he could have called for back-up but those days were long gone and most of the men he had hired were down. It was supposed to be a simple task of taking out one solitary guy. Ok, so the guy had military training he'd been told. But still, a quick in and out, not this long, drawn out gun battle.

"Report." He barked into his radio.

"I'm out."

"Four rounds left."

"Out."

"Out."

"Five rounds left."

"Out."

The news wasn't good. He needed to extract himself and the others NOW! He'd heard that they had accomplished their goal when some female voice had shouted that John had been shot. So, how to get out? He knew he'd lose more men but frankly, he didn't care as much about them as himself. They were just men he'd hired and they'd known the risks.

He was just about to order them to fall back as best they could when a new round of gunfire erupted from the other side of the warehouse. 'What the hell!' He thought. 'Fuck this, I'm outta here.' He slowly backed up and headed towards a door he'd noticed almost hidden by boxes and crates. 'Always have an exit.' He'd reminded himself. Nearby, another of the men went down and Paul hurried to reach the door.

The outline of light from the door was almost his undoing. Bullets ripped through the area around the door as the light alerted someone inside that someone was trying to exit the building. He ducked and dove out the door, then got up and ran. He thought he heard other footsteps following him, but he didn't turn to look.

Once he reached the van, he started the vehicle up and roared out of the area. He was ten miles away before the adrenaline left his body and he suddenly felt exhausted. It was time to collect the rest of his pay and get out of this job. He drove down to a nearby marina where he had a small boat stashed. He'd been told he needed to report in person and the boss had been adamant about not using the phone. Whatever. The money was good and he knew how to follow orders.

He reached the yacht twenty minutes later and cut the engine on his boat. He hailed the yacht and a dark haired woman emerged from the cabin and threw him a line.

Once on board, he addressed her. "It's done Boss. We encountered more resistance than we thought though. He must have had a partner."

The woman scowled at that. "Who was it?"

"No idea. I think it was a woman. Whomever she was, she handled an assault weapon with ease."

"Well is this mystery woman dead now I hope?"

"I have no idea Boss. We were out of ammo and had to get out of there. I suspect the other guys took her out."

"But you don't KNOW?" The woman narrowed her eyes. "Do you mean you left before it was over? You just left your men behind? Tsk, tsk, Mr. Gardner, that's becoming a habit for you…. I'm surprised after what you lost the last time, your position with the FBI and all, that you did it again."

"Shut up." He growled. "Just pay me the rest of my money and I'm out of here. Your target has been taken down. Now I want my money."

"Oh, you'll get what's due to you." She said, raised a Smith and Wesson she had hidden behind her back and shot Paul Gardner right between the eyes. As the body fell overboard, she turned to go back into the cabin saying, "Now, where were we Harold?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Roaring down the dark NYC streets, lights and siren blaring, Carter and Fusco were trying to figure out what was going on. All they knew was that John Reese was injured and needed help. They'd come to his rescue once before when the FBI and HR were both after him. But he'd laid low since then almost no contact with either of them which was very unusual.

"Tell me again who it was that called you?" Fusco asked Carter.

"I have no idea, it was a woman's voice and she was calling from John's phone. She said her name was Tate. I could hear shots in the background, and knowing John's line of work, I figured the call was legit." Keeping her eyes on the road, Carter replayed the call in her head. The voice sounded familiar but she was not quite sure where she'd heard it before.

A van came out of nowhere and almost broadsided them. "Idiot!" Shouted Carter as she twisted the steering wheel. "How the hell do you MISS seeing flashing blue lights!" Neither of them realized that the man responsible for the fire-fight they were about to walk into, was the man driving the van.

As they neared the warehouse district, Carter cut the lights and siren. No need to advertise that the cavalry had arrived. Sporadic gun fire could be heard in the distance, announcing that they were close to the action. Carter stopped behind another warehouse to keep the car hidden. Guns drawn, Kevlar vests on, Carter and Fusco hurried into the building where the shots were coming from.

Two bodies were near the door of the warehouse, Fusco checked both for a pulse and shook his head at Carter. Moving deeper into the warehouse they strained their eyes to get accustomed to the dim interior. The shots were getting fewer and further apart. By the time they reached the center of the warehouse, they had come across three more bodies.

Holding her hand up to stop Fusco from advancing, Carter pulled out the phone that John had given her. She sent a text 'don't shoot, we're here, next to forklift, where are you?' She didn't want them to end up victims of friendly fire. Apparently whoever was doing the shooting was a skilled marksman. All of the dead had been taken down with one shot each.

John's phone vibrated with a text message. Elise, holding one hand on his shoulder wound to try and slow down the bleeding, flipped open the phone and read the message. Nudging Zoe to take the phone she whispered, "Tell them to sit tight until I get a read on how many are left."

Elise listened intently for the direction that the remaining few shots were coming from. Pinpointing the direction, she grabbed Zoe's hand and pressed it down on the wound. Holding her finger to her lips she motioned for Zoe to apply pressure as she had been doing. She checked the clip of her one remaining gun, she had six shots left.

Moving away from the crate that was hiding Reese and Zoe, Elise moved with quiet stealth along the wall. Her black clothing helped her blend into the shadows until she became one with them. She was able to get behind the one lone shooter. She could see two bodies near him. That made a total of eight. Odd, because she had a'feel' that there were at least nine shooters. Well, she could have been mistaken in the heat of the firefight.

Watching the last shooter take aim, she realized he had moved and had a good chance of hitting Zoe. Without blinking an eye, she took aim and squeezed the trigger. And then there were none.

"Detective Carter!" She called out, "all clear." And she hopped down from her vantage point. She didn't bother to check the bodies below, she knew they were dead, she didn't miss what she was aiming for. But Elise was so exhausted from the adrenaline that was coursing through her system, she was very glad to have a chance to rest for several moments.

Carter and Fusco came out from behind the forklift and met her half way. Seeing Elise dressed in black with the mask still covering the lower part of her face and a Glock in her right hand, both Carter and Fusco raised their guns. Elise stopped where she was, keeping her right hand by her side. Using her left hand she pulled the mask down, revealing her face and then she pulled the cap down off the back revealing her hair.

"You!" Gasped Carter and Fusco in unison. Each of them had seen Elise once…in very compromising positions. The woman standing in front of them was far removed from what either of them remembered.

"You're Tate?" asked Carter.

Ignoring the question, Elise hurried over behind the crate where Zoe was valiantly still holding her hand on John's shoulder wound. Blood was still seeping out between her fingers and Zoe looked like she was about to faint. Kneeling beside her, Elise checked the pulse in his neck. It was still pretty strong but it felt a little weaker than before.

"Help me get him to Zoe's car so we can get him out of here. He's too big and heavy for us to do it by ourselves." Elise said. Taken aback at being given orders by someone they didn't know, Carter and Fusco looked at each other, looked around at the dead bodies and decided it would best to do as told.

Between the four of them, they were able to get Reese into the back seat of Zoe's car. Trying to wipe the blood from her hands so she could drive, Zoe looked like she was about to lose it. Seeing panic just under the surface, Elise stepped in front of Zoe and grabbed her hands.

"Look at me Zoe. LOOK AT ME!" She said firmly. Zoe slowly brought her eyes to meet Elise's steely blue ones. "You can do this, we need to get him out of here and get him taken care of. I'll ride in the back with him but I NEED you to be able to drive. You CAN do this." Not waiting for an answer, she turned towards Carter and Fusco and motioned for them to follow her.

Standing off to the side, out of earshot from Zoe, Elise turned those same steely blue eyes on Fusco and Carter. "I need you two to search the area and remove any evidence we were here." Looking down at her own hands still covered in Reese's blood, she added, "Anything with blood on it from him has to be removed."

Turning on her heel, she walked back to the car and opened the back door. Without turning her head, she paused. "Thank you for your help." And then she got in and shut the door, leaving Carter and Fusco staring after her open mouthed.

Once in the car, Elise was dismayed to see the shoulder wound bleeding freely once again. After checking that the head wound had not starting bleeding again also, she lifted his head and placed it in her lap. Applying pressure again to the shoulder wound, gave her a moment to check his vitals once more. His pulse was still ok but definitely weaker than before and his color was fading which told her he was going into shock. The fact that he had made no sound, even when they were roughly carrying him from the warehouse, gave her cause for concern. That told her that the blood loss was severe and he was in a pretty deep, unconscious state.

"Where are we taking him?" Asked Zoe from the driver's seat. "We can't take him to a hospital."

'Darn, she's right! Why didn't I think of that? What's wrong we me?' Elise berated herself. 'I've got to keep my mind together and figure out how to handle this! No Harold and now no Reese. They are both relying on me'. Looking down at Reese's face her breath caught in her throat. He looked as defenseless as he actually was. She had always found his overbearing self-confidence irritating. Now she missed it. She had come to rely on that irritation to keep him at arm's length and out of her mind. Emotions she had kept in check were stirring and she didn't like that and certainly didn't want it! All of those thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.

Clamping down again on those unwanted feelings, she told Zoe to go to the library. "There's medical supplies there and I've had paramedic training. I believe I can handle patching him up. But we're going to need help in getting him inside." Sighing to herself, she once again picked up Reese's phone and called Carter.

"What the heck?" Grumbled Fusco. "Who is she to tell us how to do our job?"

Carter watched the tail lights of Zoe's car disappear in the distance and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not real sure but she was right, we need to clean up this scene before we can call it in."

Right then the phone John had given her rang. "We're going to need your help one more time before you get started on the clean-up. We're taking Reese …we're taking Reese to a location that has adequate medical facilities. Here's the address." Before Carter could respond, the phone line disconnected.

'Darn! Not even a hello, just orders. Just who is this woman?' wondered Carter. Explaining the need to put a hold on the clean-up to Fusco, Carter started back to the car. Not recognizing the address she'd been given, Carter gave the address to Fusco but he didn't recognize it either.

Zoe drove fast but not reckless. The last thing they needed was to be pulled over by a cop. Looking down at herself, Zoe started giggling thinking what a cop would say if they did get pulled over and he found her covered in blood, a man bleeding to death in the back seat from two gunshot wounds and being tended to by another woman who was also covered in blood.

Just before her giggling got out of control, she reined it back in. Shaking her head, she thought, 'Elise said I could handle this. But she's used to handling things like this, I'm not! I work in boardrooms and banquet halls and restaurants where the worst thing that could happen would be getting food poisoning or something. Not being shot at and seeing someone you care for go down! Not having that person's blood on your hands! No, that was not the kind of life she wanted, not the kind of life she needed. Elise was more in her own element with the guns and shooting and physical aspects of this job. She could have it! After we get John safe, I am not getting into this kind of work ever again if I can help it! Having settled that in her mind, Zoe was calmer and able to concentrate on her driving. Checking the rear view mirror to see how things were going in the back seat, she was shocked at the look on Elise's face.

With her right hand firmly pressed on the shoulder wound, Elise found her left hand, of its own volition, brushing back Reese's hair from his forehead. Her eyes took in the salt and pepper color of his hair, making his age hard to guess at. His cheekbones would rival Johnny Depp's, that was for sure. She found herself willing him to open his eyes so she could see those blue eyes that always had a sparkle in them when he spoke to her. Except when they were arguing which was most of the time, she reminded herself. And his mouth, what a beautiful mouth! She seldom saw him smile but the few times she remembered seeing it, she had almost been blinded by it. His face changed with that smile. His eyes crinkled in the corners with a mischievous glint when he teased her.

And that was the moment that Zoe caught a glimpse of Elise's face. It was not what she was expecting. Elise had been all business since they had started out on this misadventure and then she'd calmly stepped into John's shoes when he went down. Seeing such tender emotions, directed AT John was a shock.

Finally getting Reese onto a bed was a relief shared by all of them. Elise and Zoe were covered in his blood and looked like they were suffering from PTSD. Carter had tried to help tend Reese but Elise waved her away with an almost angry gesture. Something about Elise's focus on Reese prevented her from pushing the issue.

Carter kept watching Elise as she stood over Reese. She frowned, remembering the only other time she had seen her was in the back seat of a car with John. 'Now she's here, dressed like a damn ninja with John's blood all over her. What the hell is going on?'

Standing off to the side, Carter and Fusco were trying to figure out how they were going to handle the shootout at the warehouse and the dead bodies there.

"Carter, you listenin' to me? We've got to come up with a story fast to cover what went down over there!" Fusco said in an agitated voice.

"I know, I know, Fusco." Agreed Carter. "We need to get back there and 'clean up' that scene before we call it in. We don't want anything of John's to be found there."

"Excuse me." Carter said, trying to get Elise or Zoe's attention. Only Zoe looked up. Elise had started to remove the Kevlar vest from Reese. "Can we talk for a minute?" Zoe looked at Elise in askance, but Elise kept her eyes on Reese and just nodded.

Walking around the bed, Zoe came up to Carter and Fusco, "I...uh...WE want to thank you for coming to help us with John. Especially coming so fast without asking a lot of questions first," Zoe said. Never having met her before, Carter and Fusco had no idea how different Zoe looked now, with her hair pulled back in a low ponytail, parts of her hair falling around her face; jeans and a flannel shirt, dirty and covered in blood and without any make-up. Her current appearance was a far cry from the studied elegance she normally presented to the world. Carter and Fusco were still unaware that Finch was missing. John had been adamant that they be kept out of that loop. The fewer people who knew he was missing the safer he'd felt Finch would be. Zoe hoped that Carter and Fusco wouldn't ask too many questions that neither she nor Elise had answers for.

"Can you guys handle John's injuries here? He doesn't need a doctor? That's an awful lot of blood." Asked Carter, looking over Zoe's shoulder as Elise began cutting away Reese's black, long sleeve shirt.

"Elise says she can handle it. She's had paramedic training. I trust her to know if it's more than she can handle." Zoe replied. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she let out a big sigh as she turned to observe Elise.

The look of concentration on Elise's face was total. Her mouth was in set in a small, thin line. Her eyes were huge in her pale face. There was blood smeared on one cheek and on her chin. Her own Kevlar vest was unbuckled but she hadn't taken the time to take it off yet but it was getting in the way. Elise stepped back from the bed, pulled off the vest and dropped it to the floor with a thud. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. She still had on the black knit cap and most of her hair was still pushed up inside. But the strain of the night's actions had caused some strands to escape and hang out from under the cap. She slowly exhaled as she opened her eyes. Feeling like someone was watching her, she turned towards Zoe, Carter and Fusco. The coldness in her eyes did not go unnoticed by any of them. She almost looked like she was daring them to come near Reese. Feeling uncomfortable and unnecessary, the three of them began discussing what still needed to be done. Zoe walked Carter and Fusco out and down to street level as they discussed their options, leaving Elise alone with Reese.

Looking down, Elise saw a wounded man...not a wounded boy. She saw Reese not Patrick. That was her biggest worry and she had conquered it. She had been fearful that memories would cause her to freeze and not be able to help Reese. Her past had crippled her too many times but finally that seemed to have come to a close. 'What had this man done to her? How had he done it?'

Shaking her head, she once again put a lid on those thoughts and filed them away for later. Right now, she had to find out how serious that shoulder wound was. The bullet had hit Reese just above the neck of the vest. That was the worst of the two gunshot wounds. Looking around at the all too familiar area where the hospital bed was, Elise spied the cabinet with the glass door. Quickly going over and opening it she was pleased to see the necessary medical supplies. Grabbing what she needed, she set to work.

Cleaning the wound in Reese's shoulder showed that tending it would be relatively easy. The bullet had passed through and through and missed the clavicle artery. It had an entrance and an exit wound. Thank goodness she wasn't going to have to dig it out. But it would require stitches. She smiled at the thought that she was going to be leaving her 'mark' on him just like the 'mark' he left on her when he stitched her up. 'Amazing, what comes around goes around!'

Finishing the stitches on his shoulder she checked the head wound. It had already quit bleeding but needed to be cleaned up. It might need a stitch or two, thought Elise. It wasn't deep but it was rather wide. She was so involved cleaning and stitching the wound that she didn't notice that Reese was coming around.

All of a sudden she felt her right arm grabbed roughly around the wrist and twisted. Crying out she almost fell to the floor. Quickly regaining her balance and countered the move with a twist of her own. She found herself inches away from blue eyes staring wildly around.

"Reese...Reese...REESE!" She almost screamed at him. He finally focused his eyes and saw her.

"Elise." Was all he said as he fell back on the bed. Prying his fingers off her wrist, Elise was amazed it wasn't broken. It was certainly bruised and would be a multitude of colors by tomorrow morning.

Elise, still rubbing her wrist, went back to the cabinet to check on medications. She needed him to relax and sleep to give his body a chance to handle the trauma it had endured. Choosing a light sedative of Lorazepam, she gave him two ccs via the IV she'd hung by the bed. Standing back and looking at him she realized that rest of him he needed to be cleaned up as well. There were still bits of dried blood in a few places. But first, she had to clean herself up.

Finding the bag she had brought with her earlier in the evening she headed for the shower that she knew Harold had had installed. She'd have to hurry to make sure she was back before Reese woke up again. She felt that if she could wash off the reminders of tonight's activity, she'd be able to think more clearly about what their next step should be in trying to get Harold back. Elise knew Reese would be out of the action, at least physically for a while.

Fresh from her shower, Elise came back into the area of the hospital bed and was pleased to see that Reese was resting more comfortably. The frown on his face had relaxed and the tension seemed to have eased throughout his body. Sighing with fatigue herself, she put down her bag of dirty, blood stained clothes and shook her hair out. For once she decided to not put it up in its customary place under her hat. She ran a comb through it to get the tangles out while watching Reese. The only movement she could see was his chest rising and falling with each breath. His hand rested on the outside of the covers in a relaxed manner, not in fists like he was ready for a fight, as was his norm.

Walking back to the bathroom, Elise found a bowl under the sink, some towels and another washrag. After filling the bowl with hot water, she carried all of the washing supplies back to Reese's bedside table. Standing there looking at him she realized this was the first time she had actually looked at him. Usually she avoided eye contact with him at all cost. The few times she HAD looked him in the eye, she had been so angry she mostly just saw was red. He was a very attractive man, she had to admit. No wonder Zoe was interested in him. They had made such a striking couple at the gala.

Remembering the laughter that they had shared caused her to feel…what, upset? No…angry? No, not that either. Shrugging her shoulders, she ignored the nagging feeling, the one that said there was something more to her discomfort, rinsed the washrag and began to clean up Reese.

Holding his hair off of his forehead, she gently cleaned once more around her previous handiwork of stitches. She was always amazed at how much blood flowed from a head wound. Thank goodness it looked worse than it was. Wiping his face to clean off the dried blood she was again struck by how much she wanted him to open his eyes. Their blueness had imprinted on her mind, despite the fact that there were only a few times that she'd gazed at them directly. As she continued to clean his face, she remembered the times he had made overtures of friendship to her. Only to have her throw them back in his face. That was because those overtures came AFTER he had her at a major disadvantage: hanging from his shoulders by her legs, or underneath him while he was trying to rub warmth back into her frozen skin and she didn't even want to think about what had had happened at the gala.

Blushing from the memory, she rinsed the washrag out roughly, splashing water on the table. That made her angry and she grabbed one of the only two dry towels left and dried the table off. GRRRR! 'He can irritate me even when he's unconscious!'

Next she began to clean around his neck and the bandage on his shoulder. As she wiped more dried blood off of him she began to notice the scars. The ones she had seen that night in his car. There were so many! Some were obviously bullet wound scars but there seemed to be just as many knife wound scars. He certainly lived a very dangerous life. She knew he was ex-military but he also seemed like something more. His fighting style, the way he viewed a scene, instinctively looking for an out, watching everybody all the time, it all screamed something more than just trained soldier. Stopping her ministrations for a moment, she looked closely at the man on the bed; tall, slim, long-limbed with scars on almost every part of his upper body. His hands were smooth but strong and very capable. She had seen him handle a variety of different weaponry with ease, taking down multiple opponents. But she'd also seen how gentle he was with them when he'd taken care of her as she was wounded. He seemed to want to protect everybody, even people who didn't need or want his protection…..people like me, she thought. 'Who is this man? Why do I want, no, need to know? Why do I even care?'

After losing Patrick when she was so young, she'd felt her life was over when it came to being involved with a man. Losing someone who had been a part of her for so long, in such a violent way, had almost killed her. It was only by joining HRT and by years of dealing with Tim that she began to connect and relate to a man again. Because Tim was happily married, there had been no romantic attraction, just the need for a normal family life. Tim and his wife had provided that with their kids. She'd been happy with that arrangement right up until Tim had also been taken from her. The underhanded way Tim had been killed, so needlessly, sent her into a downward spiral that had taken almost two years to recover from.

Moving often during those two years had helped her stay detached from people. If she didn't know someone, she couldn't become attached to them or care about them. She'd hired herself and her skills out to the highest bidder. But her innate honesty and sense of right and wrong had prevented her from taking any jobs that were illegal. It was only after meeting Zoe that night that she actually felt something for someone again. Zoe was good about not pushing it, she never asked nosy questions and just accepted her like she was. To have finally been able to come clean and tell SOMEONE about Tim and Patrick had been the beginning of her feeling human again.

Looking at Reese, Elise realized she was changing once more. This man had come into her life, literally with guns blazing, and started that process. The irritation that he caused was founded in…..attraction, she was finally willing to acknowledge. She loved a challenge and that's what he'd given her. He challenged everything she believed in: about herself, about the world and about the people in it. He'd made her look at herself in the mirror, something that she had carefully avoided for years. Because she didn't like what she saw, she fought back hard, but still, his continued presence had challenged her and eventually, she realized that she cared what he thought and…..she cared about HIM. She sat back for a second, marveling at that revelation.

After a couple of minutes turning that idea over and over in her mind, she returned to her care of John. She dried him off and covered him with the sheet and blanket, taking the bowl and washrag back to the bathroom. Rinsing out the bowl she looked at herself in the mirror. Really looked. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her. She wasn't elegant and worldly like Zoe. She didn't like to dress up fancy. She was more comfortable in jeans and t-shirt. She liked beer better than a mixed drink. 'What did she have to offer him? Not much.' She thought.

Pulling up a chair next to the bed, Elise leaned on one elbow and studied John's face. He was classically handsome; the salt and pepper hair offset those blue eyes perfectly. That mouth, the one that she had studied on the ride back to the library was so expressive…..the elusive smile, or snarky grin or seriously PO'd frown…..was beautiful. The longer she gazed at him, the more relaxed she became, finally drifting off with her head on her arms on the side of the bed.

Bad dreams came to her quickly, flashes of Patrick and Tim were intermingled with flashes of John. Blood was everywhere, tearing her apart. She began to whimper in her sleep and tears slipped out of her closed eyes. Her hands gripped the blanket. The nightmare went on and on.

Reese was slowly coming around as the sedatives wore off. New aches and pains joined the all too familiar ones he experienced every time he woke up. He'd heard a noise that was causing him concern. His eyes opened, fully awake. He quickly realized he was in the library and all that had happened quickly assimilated in his mind.

Trying to locate the sound that woke him, he was surprised to see Elise's head on the side of the bed. Her hair was down and it waved about her face. He noticed she was asleep but he also saw the tears rolling down her face onto the sheet. He raised his hand to touch her head, to comfort her, but paused for a moment...he was hesitant to touch her, afraid she'd wake up and light into him for touching her. But the sound of her quiet crying moved him like nothing had in many years. Reaching out he gentle stroked her head, brushing her hair back away from her face. The texture of her hair was even more silky than he had imagined. The thought caught him off guard and he pulled his hand away. 'Imagined? What the hell? I haven't been thinking about her! She drives me crazy! Always jumping to conclusions when all I've tried to do was be nice and friendly and take the high road when things got...out of control. Ok, maybe he'd pushed her a little bit, though he wasn't quite sure why he had. But no way have I given the texture of her hair a second thought!' And yet he found himself stroking her head and hair once more. Pushing a lock of hair behind her ear so he could see her face better, he was amazed at the look of innocence there.

Normally she was frowning and had her bottom lip stuck out. She was without a doubt the most stubborn woman he had ever met. He was used to charming women into doing what he wanted, when he wanted but not her! She got her back up and crossed him at every turn. But he had found himself looking forward to seeing her. She was certainly a mystery and an enigma...and he realized that he'd been thinking about her more than he'd realized.

The more he stroked her hair and played with the thick waves of inky blackness, the quieter she became, until she seemed to be finally resting peacefully. The tension was leaving her shoulders and she snuggled more up to the side of the bed. Looking at her as he ran his fingers through her hair, he realized how much he wanted her to wake up. He wanted, no needed, to see her deep blue eyes, to see if she could possibly feel anything for him as he had come to realize he felt for her. Those deep blue eyes of hers, they always seemed to see right through him, into his very soul…..the same soul he'd kept locked away for many years. Could she possibly feel something for him despite all of that?

Realizing she needed sleep as much as he did though, he didn't wake her but rather continued to play with her hair between his fingers until he finally drifted off again, more relaxed than he had been in quite some time.

Zoe came in early the next morning, wanting to see how John was and if Elise had made it through the night ok. What she was NOT expecting to see was Elise sitting by the bed with her head on her arms, facing away from John, sound asleep and John's hand resting on her head with his fingers wrapped in her hair...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

At the sound of Zoe's gasp, Elise and John both came awake instantly. Elise's hand reached for the gun lying at the foot of the bed. Even in the safety of the library, Elise was not going to leave John or herself undefended.

Zoe threw her hands up and stepped back. Looking at two pairs of unblinking blue eyes was unnerving to say the least. The cold, deadly expressions on their faces were almost identical. This was definitely not a pair you'd want to meet in an alley or anywhere else if you were up to no good.

Realizing it was Zoe, Elise laid down the gun and turned her head to face John. Feeling the tug on her hair as she turned her head, she was surprised to find that it was John's hand, tangled in her hair that she felt. The surprise on her face was mirrored by the surprise on John's face when he realized the same thing at the same moment. Suddenly there was no one in the room at that moment but the two of them. Looking at each other, openly and honestly for the first time was a revelation to both of them. No subterfuge, no anger, no frustration or animosity, just completely open to each other for the first time. No shadow of painful memory, only the here and now.

Each of them knew something in their relationship had changed. Neither was quite sure how or why, just that something was different and it felt good, it felt….right.

John was the first to break the moment and smiled slightly at Elise as he gently disentangled his fingers from her hair. Just before letting go completely, he wrapped one errant lock around his finger and smoothed it behind her ear. The light touch on her ear sent shivers through Elise's entire body. The blue of her eyes darkened with feeling as she reached up and held that same hand for a moment. Feeling her small hand holding onto his much larger one, John was completely taken aback by the surge of emotion that coursed through him. Her small answering smile was enough for him to know that his touch was welcome.

Zoe felt like she was an intruder on a very private moment. She knew they were no longer aware of her in the room. Watching them react to each other but saying nothing, was a true revelation. The emotional aura that surrounded them was something she could almost reach out and touch. Now she knew why Elise fought so hard to stay away from John; she was fighting the attraction she was obviously feeling. Smiling to herself, Zoe realized that any chance she had with John was gone, if it had ever existed to begin with. Surprisingly enough, after her experience in the warehouse, she realized she didn't mind.

Zoe cleared her throat and spoke to them both. "I THINK I might have found another lead in our search for Harold." Both sets of eyes gave her an even more intense look. "A contact of mine alerted me that a body washed up on Staten Island. The man was dressed 'like a SWAT cop' as my contact called it. He had one gunshot to the head and hadn't been in the water for long. I know it's a long shot but…"

"….it's the best we've got right now." Elise finished. "Ok, so we need to think about this. Was he dropped off a bridge or…"

"Do you know anything else about the condition of the body?" John asked, wincing as he tried to sit up.

Elise automatically placed a hand on him, pushing down gently. "Please don't pull the stitches, John. I'll raise the head of the bed for you ok?"

John smiled up at her and Elise felt butterflies in her stomach as she noted how much more handsome he was when he turned that devastating smile on her. Dragging herself back to the present, she handed him the remote for the bed.

"What do you mean John?" Zoe asked.

"Did he have a lot of broken bones? If he didn't then he couldn't have been dropped off a bridge. He must have been dumped in the water from a boat."

"No, there were no broken bones." Zoe confirmed at the same time that Elise exclaimed, "THAT'S why we haven't been able to find them! Root has taken him off the grid! There are no cameras or anything out there to pick him up!"

"We need to look at a navigational map NOW!" Reese almost shouted, trying to rise from the bed.

"John!" Both women yelled at him as he struggled to rise.

"Lay down John, we'll bring the map to you." Zoe said. She and Elise went over to a rack that held a bunch rolled up papers. They spread them out and looked until they found one showing the waters and currents around Staten Island. They brought the map back to where John was anxiously watching them from his bed. Together, they mapped out likely places where the body could have gone into the water based on the current, the tide and the amount of time the body could have been in the water. They were able to narrow it down to a twenty-five mile radius.

"That's a lot of open water to cover." Elise said. "I'd better get to it then, if I'm going to have any chance of finding Harold today." Elise turned to go but John's hand reached out and grabbed hers in a surprisingly strong grip for someone who had an injured shoulder. The contact sent shivers up and down her spine. 'Was this how things were going to be now that she finally admitted to herself that she was attracted to the man?'

"You need to take back up, Elise. This woman is dangerous. She's killed multiple people." John looked her straight in the eye, almost willing her to agree with him for once.

"She's not the ONLY one who's dangerous." Elise growled at the thought of what she might have done to Harold. Noticing the look in John's eyes though, she sighed and continued. "OK. I'll call Detective Carter and Fusco."

John smiled and leaned back against the pillows. "Now, was that so hard?"

"What?" Elise asked puzzled.

"Agreeing with me, of course."

Elise's resulting smile caused him to suck in his breath as he noticed how beautiful she was with her hair down and a smile just for him. "Don't get used to it." She smirked and turned to go into another room.

Elise called Detective Carter from John's phone as she had not had time to program them into her own.

"John?" Carter answered the phone. "Are you alright?"

"Sorry Detective, it's Elise Tate again. John is resting. I wouldn't exactly say comfortably, but he's resting."

Carter chuckled at the exasperation she could hear in Elise's voice. "So to what do I owe the pleasure of this call then?" She asked.

"Well Detective, it appears I'm going to need you and your partner's help one more time."

"Somehow I figured last night wouldn't be the last time." Carter sighed. "Ok, what do you need?"

"I understand you haven't heard from Mr. Finch in quite some time. Did you ever wonder why that was?"

"Yeah, actually Fusco and I were commenting on that earlier. What's up with Finch? Fusco figured he took a vacation….but I take it you're going to tell me now?"

"Mr. Finch was kidnapped several weeks ago by someone who wants knowledge that he has."

"WHAT?" Carter just about yelled into the phone. "Why am I just hearing about this now?"

"Detective, you've worked with John far longer than I have. I'm sure you can figure out why. Anyway, John, Ms. Morgan and I have been searching for Finch ever since. That warehouse fiasco was the most recent lead we'd had. It turns out it was a trap. However, our most promising lead just came in this morning and I need some back-up while I'm checking it out."

"Alright. Tell me where we should meet you. Fusco and I can't get away at the moment without having the FBI and probably the CIA following us. We can be there in two hours, I think."

After hanging up the phone, Elise looked over at John and Zoe, still pouring over the map. John was looking a little pale and fatigue showed around his eyes. Looking up from the map when she approached, she was warmed by the way he lit up when she locked eyes with him. His smile was for her only, something she had not experienced in a very long time...if ever. This connection she felt with John was newer, deeper and more profound than anything she'd felt before. For her, the strength of this connection was almost palatable. It caused her heart rate to increase and her breath to catch in her throat. Her whole body hummed to a new song she had never heard before, it was almost frightening in its intensity.

Seeing Elise coming back to the bedside where he and Zoe were still studying the map, John felt his entire body react to her approach. Unbidden, a smile appeared on his face. Since it was such an unusual occurrence, Zoe looked up to see just what could make John appear so...happy...and saw Elise approaching. Once again she felt like she was not even in the same room with them and that she was intruding on a private moment.

"Well, since you seem to be on the mend John, I'm going to go get us something to eat. Harold thought of everything here in the library except food." Folding up the map and grabbing her purse, Zoe asked if they wanted anything particular to eat. But neither of them heard her. She didn't bother to ask again. Smiling to herself, Zoe laid down the map and walked out.

Recovering from her momentary loss of control, Elise looked up just in time to see Zoe walking away. Looking in askance at Reese, he just continued to smile at her. At least until he shrugged his shoulder and the pain from the latest gunshot wound reminded him of what they were all doing here.

"Damn, I hate getting shot. Makes it harder to do my job." He groused. Leaning back in the bed he took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Moving quickly to his side, Elise reached out and touched his cheek with her open palm, feeling the roughness of a day's worth of beard.

"John! John!" She almost shouted, afraid he had passed out.

"What?" Breathed John in his whispery voice not opening his eyes. The impact of those eyes still took her breath away.

"Are you hurting? Do you need something? " Elise asked with a worried frown on her face.

As he opened his eyes, he felt like he was seeing an angel: long, flowing black hair, cascading around a face he had come to...to care for deeply? Blue eyes that he felt himself falling into, pulling him deeper and deeper and he realized he didn't want to stop falling. Ever.

Elise was the first one to pull herself together. Checking the bandage on the scalp wound, it looked fine. The stitches were holding up. Then pulling the sheet away from his chest, she checked the shoulder wound. No bleeding could be seen through the bandage and his skin was cool to the touch, so no infection.

John reached up with his left hand and held onto her other hand resting on his chest, preventing her from pulling away. Realizing that he was not going to let her go, Elise's eyes locked onto his. So much was being said without words. Neither of them was ready to explain what they were feeling since neither of them completely understood just what that was. For two individuals who faced extreme fear on an almost daily basis with without qualm, both were suddenly terrified by what they were feeling.

Finally letting her hand go, John smiled back at her and tilted his head, waiting for her to speak first. Realizing that the ball was in her court, Elise took advantage of the moment. "I think we need to see about getting you cleaned up. I did the best I could when you were unconscious but I think you'll feel much better if you can take a shower. We have a couple of hours before I'm supposed to meet the detectives. Do you feel up to it?"

"I think you're right. I'd really like a shower." He agreed as he tried to sit up. Gritting his teeth, he sat up on his own but still couldn't quite muffle the groan that escaped. Trying to swing his long legs over the side of the bed was almost too much. Elise offered a steady shoulder to hold on to until he could find his legs on his own. His blood loss had been enough to make him light-headed as he sat up straight.

"Stay here for a moment while I run the shower." Elise told him as she removed his arm from her shoulder. "Please don't try to get up by yourself. You WILL fall on your face and you are too damn big for me to pick up by myself." She said with a smile.

Down the hall she went to the bathroom and made it ready for John. The shower itself was big and roomy but she knew John couldn't stand up for long under his own power. Looking around, she was happy to find a shower seat in one corner. Picking it up, she put it in the shower stall. Turning on the water she positioned it directly under the water stream. The best part was that the shower head was removable. It could be adjusted to different levels or even hand held. Moving it down to be just above where she thought John's head would be, she started adjusting the temperature. Backing out and closing the shower door she looked around for more towels. Stacking them near the shower with a washrag, she went back to get John.

Seeing him sitting on the side of the bed, she was provided a nice view of John from the back. Broad shoulders were the first thing she noticed. Even with her bandages snaking over and under his arm, it was an impressive sight. That bewitching hair line at the base of his neck drew her eyes next. She loved the way it grew to a perfect point but she almost giggled because he had a serious case of bed-hair. Usually every hair was in place no matter what, but after a night and a day in bed, it was sticking up in every direction all over his head.

Walking around the bed she smiled and said "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and smelling better."

A frown appeared on his face, "Smell? I don't smell do I?"

"Well, let me put it this way, you've smelt better! Hopefully Harold has some manly scented soap you can use."

Carefully holding John steady, Elise led him down the hall to the bathroom. John looked around, surprised at the plushness of the bathroom. Never having had a need to go past 'command central' as he liked to think of it, he was surprised at how complete it was. Apparently Harold spent more time here than he'd realized. That thought caused a pang of remorse over Harold's absence from his...no, their lives.

"You can sit on that stool in the shower so you don't have to stand. I need you to take off your pants. Wrap a towel around your waist and go sit on the seat." Refusing to look him in the eye, she helped him sit down on a bench by the shower and went to get him the towel. Turning her back on him, she hoped he would do as she asked without giving her a hard time.

Hearing him grunt and groan she knew he was removing his pants. She glanced up in the mirror and was presented with a view of John Reese that she'd not seen before. He was completely naked! Apparently he went commando because there were no underwear to be seen. She tried to pull her eyes away from the view but she was not physically able to do so, the view was just too nice. She watched him drape the towel across his lap and lean back against the wall. Watching him without his knowing made her feel like she was being bad but she didn't care. She was intrigued...

"Ready to get into the shower?" She asked innocently, dropping her eyes from the mirror.

"Yeah, let's get this over with." Growled John. As Elise came back to him, he tried to stand up but was wobbly on his feet. Using his good arm he reached for the wall behind him which made the towel drop away. "Damn! Sorry!" Gasped John as his head began to swim. Elise quickly leaned down and picked up the towel. Standing back up she quickly wrapped him back up in the towel. With her cheeks bright red she was glad he still had his eyes closed and couldn't see the expression on her face.

Holding onto him she opened the shower door and helped him inside. The steam from the running water billowed out, covering them both in a fine mist. She settled him down on the seat and helped him unwrap the towel so it was once again just draped over his lap. The height of the shower nozzle was perfect, hitting just at the base of his neck and running down his front and back. The water proof bandages seemed to be holding. She handed him a washrag and the bottle of body bath soap she'd found and stepped back out of the shower. "I'll be right here if you need me." She told him.

Throwing his head back so that the water rained down it, John let out a sign of pleasure. It felt so good. He wasn't used to being dirty for so long. Those days had been long gone since he was discharged from the military. Even when he worked for The Company he was seldom this dirty for this length of time. He reveled in the feel of the hot water easing the tension and the dirt away. Trying to reach around for the shower nozzle he realized he couldn't quite manage it and called out to Elise, "Elise, are you still there?"

Instantly the door opened and Elise was there. "Is something wrong?" she asked in a worried tone.

"No, I just need the shower nozzle so I can aim it myself."

Sighing with relief, Elise reached in and removed it from the wall and handed it to him and shut the door but not all the way this time. Sitting back down on the bench by shower, Elise once again enjoyed the view in the mirror of a naked, towel draped John Reese. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, his chest muscles contracted and relaxed as he moved the shower head around himself. Once he was completely wet he seemed at a loss of what to do next. He couldn't use left his right arm too well because of the shoulder wound but he needed one hand for the shower nozzle, one hand to hold the soap and one hand to hold the rag...and he was coming up one hand short.

Frustration set in as he tried to grab the bottle of soap with his right hand. The loud sound of the bottle hitting the floor broke through Elise's daydreaming. Seeing his predicament she knew she was going to have to help him and she was very disconcerted by just how she was going to do that. Once again she opened the door and asked if he was ok.

This time she got an angry "No, I am NOT ok! I can't do anything with one arm out of commission! I really HATE feeling like this. Needing help ...I don't like it...I don't like having to rely on anybody for anything...'cause they always let you down." Slinging down the shower nozzle he looked just like a mad little boy who'd had his toys taken away from him.

Leaning into the shower stall, and picking up the nozzle and the bottle of soap Elise said "Asking for help when you need it, John, is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of knowing what your limitations are and knowing who you can trust to help you. You know you can trust me, don't you?"

Turning his head to face her, his frown slowly disappeared. The openness of her eyes brought him back to the here and now. There was nothing hidden from him anymore in those eyes. He felt as if he was looking into the deepest recesses of her soul. He knew then that he'd met his match….his perfect match. Any parts that were missing in him were filled up by her.

He once again smiled at her and whispered, "I need your help Elise."

Hearing those words, the last wall around her heart crumbled to dust. Her heart was there for the taking, scars and all. No more hiding, no more burying emotions. She knew what it took for him to say those words, just as she knew how badly she needed to hear them.

Taking a deep breath she asked softly, "Can I trust you to let me help you? Will you do as I tell...um...ask you to do without arguing with me every step of the way? Will you behave? Because to help you right now, I'm going to have to get into that shower with you."

Smiling that smile that was meant only for her, he nodded once. Elise backed out of the door and shook her head. 'What have I gotten myself into?' She asked herself. This all seemed to be going too fast for her. All teasing aside, she was not sure she was ready for the next step.

'He needs my help, he ASKED for my help. He promised he would behave. I guess I'm going to just have to trust him to keep his word.'

Looking down she realized she couldn't get in the shower with her jeans on. It was the only clean pair she had. The other pair were wadded up in a plastic bag, covered in John's blood. 'Damn! I've got other t-shirts but no pants! DAMN!' She glanced back up at John through the hot steam of the shower. He was sitting there with his eyes closed and the nozzle pouring hot water down his back. Damn, damn, damn...he better behave! She knew she cared for John, cared for him immensely, but these feelings were so new, she just wasn't sure if she was ready for the physical part of their relationship to complicate things.

She sighed and began unbuttoning her jeans, tugging the zipper down she slid her jeans down her hips to her legs and finally to her feet. Stepping out of the jeans she stood there for a moment in skimpy bikini underwear and her t-shirt and bra. Taking a deep breath she pulled open the door and stepped in.

Feeling a cool draft as the door opened, John opened his eyes and turned towards the door. Seeing Elise in nothing but a t-shirt and panties was a surprise but not an unwelcome one. A slow smile appeared on his face and he closed his eyes again, waiting for her to make the first move.

Reaching around John, Elise grasped the shower nozzle and began letting the water flow again over his head and down his neck. Standing behind him she was able to keep her t-shirt pretty dry. 'This may work out yet.' Thought Elise. The shampoo she herself had used earlier was still on the shelf and she poured some into her hand. Lathering it up, she gently worked the shampoo into his hair, carefully avoiding the scalp wound. Elise began massaging John's head, enjoying the feel of his short hair in her fingers. Feeling Elise's gentle hands on his head and neck totally relaxed John and he leaned his head back onto her chest.

'Damn, now I've got shampoo all over me!' But at least she was able to take some pleasure in knowing that John liked her touch. Sighing with resignation she began to rinse his hair. Using her left hand to keep the soap out of his eyes, she gently rubbed the remnants of dried blood from his face. 'He really did need a shave', she thought, 'feeling the rough texture of his cheeks and chin'. Carefully staying away from his mouth, she rinsed all the shampoo off. 'So far so good', she smiled to herself.

Replacing the shampoo bottle back on the shelf, she grabbed the body wash, poured some in a washcloth and paused to decide what to do next. Since she was standing behind him she decided that his back should be the next target. Again she was impressed with the width of his shoulders. He was not an overly muscular man but the muscles were there, giving definition in all the right places. As she rubbed his back she was again dismayed to see even more scars from previous wounds. He was like a patchwork quilt that told a story of an embattled life. Stretching over him, she grasped his right arm and washed it from wrist to shoulder and repeated the same action on the left arm. Carefully washing around the water-proof bandage on his right shoulder, she reached around and began to wash his chest. Again John leaned back against her, until this time she was almost supporting his whole upper body. She reached around and continued to wash any exposed skin, smoothing the suds away with her bare hand. Suddenly she realized she was pushing the towel down, the one draped over his lower body. She'd been pushing it lower and lower with every pass of the washcloth without even realizing it.

The towel itself was soaked through and through and left nothing to the imagination. Elise's eyes were drawn to that towel of their own volition. It barely covered him and left his long legs, stretched out in front of him and fully exposed. She knew she could not go any further without embarrassing herself. If he needed THAT part washed more than the cascading water had done, he'd darn well have to do it himself.

"Ok John, I'm done. You'll have to finish the rest. I've put soap on the washrag for you. You can handle your legs and ...uh...other parts yourself." She spoke in a rush.

She pushed him off her chest and back into a sitting position and used the shower nozzle to rinse the shampoo off her shirt. 'Oh my God! You can see right through my shirt! I've….I've got to get out of here before…' She couldn't even finish the thought.

Roughly handing the shower nozzle back to John she turned to open the shower door but she was stopped in her tracks by the iron grip on her wrist. Trying to pull her arm away from John, she turned bewildered eyes to him. "You promised! You promised you'd behave!" Elise whispered.

The look John gave her told her many, many things. Mainly things she was not ready to see or confront.

"Elise." He said, his voice taking on that breathless huskiness that sent shivers through her body. "Elise." Was all he said but it was the way he said it that stopped any further resistance. She took the nozzle and hooked it back onto the wall. The water poured freely over John now. Pulling her around in front of him, he positioned her so that she was standing between his legs. His eyes looked up at her with unspoken longing. Reaching up, he smoothed her hair back behind her right ear… and set her nerves on fire.

Pulling her closer to him, he buried his face in her t-shirt, right below her breasts. He tucked his chin in and hugged her tightly. Elise reached down and lightly touched his wet hair. Running her fingers through his hair she traced that hair line down to the point at the base of his neck that always intrigued her. Holding him close with both hands she leaned over and kissed the top of his head. The moment she did so, he pulled away and looked up at her once again. The emotions that she saw swirling in his eyes matched the ones swirling in her heart.

His left hand snaked its way up her back until it was wrapped around the back of her neck. Pulling her head down, he lightly kissed her lips. Both of them were unprepared for the feeling that that one touch did to each of them. This time Elise initiated the kiss. Taking both hands and holding both sides of his face, she leaned down and kissed him. There was no tentativeness to this kiss. This was a kiss of acceptance, of permission to go to the next step. John's hands pulled her close again. The sweetness of that kiss almost undid him. He was about to give himself to someone as he had not done for many years. By letting Elise into that part of his mind and his heart, he was finally letting go of his past and saying goodbye to his ghosts.

Allowing herself to be pulled closer into his embrace, Elise removed the towel from John's lap, exposing his shaft that had already been tenting the material. She slid her panties down, stepped out of them and kicked them to the side. She picked up one leg up and then the other and sat on his thighs, straddling him on the stool. John hugged her tightly and buried his face in the hollow of her neck. He then kissed a path up her jaw to her mouth and began kissing her in earnest. His hands reached around and began stroking her breasts, and her nipples popped up into his questing fingers. Throwing her head back and moaning a little, Elise let the warm water of the shower slide down between them. John nuzzled her neck, as his hands continued their work on her breasts, sending shock waves through both of them.

They pulled away from each other slightly for a second but both held on tightly. The question in his eyes was answered in hers and she reached between them and grasped him and slowly lowered herself onto him. Both gasped at the intensity of the feeling as he entered her. Once more, Elise took her hands and held his face close to hers. Using her thumbs she traced his eyebrows one at a time, taking in the desire she saw in his eyes, knowing it was reflected in her own. Touching his forehead with her own, she slowly began to move her hips. John's arms tightened around her. Both closed their eyes and were completely in the moment.

In a rhythm as old as life itself, they were lost in each other. Elise clasped her hands behind John's neck as they rocked to and fro under the influence of feelings that were swamping them both. She kissed him and thought, 'THIS was the man she had been waiting for. THIS feeling was what she had been searching for. THIS MAN...

"Oh!" gasped Elise as a flood of pleasure shook her to her very core.

Feeling Elise climax in his arms, John hugged her tightly to him, absolutely certain he would never, ever let this woman go. This gift of giving herself completely to him, brought him to the edge and over it. His breath came in gasps. He opened his eyes to see Elise gazing at him with so much love. There were no missing parts anymore, no more dead spots in his heart. As long has he had Elise he was complete. Once again he buried his face into the hollow of her neck and breathed deeply.

As the water began to turn cool, Elise and John reluctantly moved apart. Turning the shower off and smiling a contented smile, Elise slowly stood up in front of John once again. The wet t-shirt and bra she had on left nothing to the imagination. She might as well be standing there naked. With that thought, she reached down and pulled her t-shirt over her head, dropping it behind her on the shower floor and she unhooked her bra, letting that fall as well. Standing there in all her feminine glory, she tilted her head and gave John a smile that was meant only for him. He reached out one more time and brought her close to him. Licking the water droplets from her breast he nuzzled each one until they both peaked with rosy color. Almost purring, Elise laughed and then backed away and opened the door of the shower.

Reaching for the towels on the bench, she stepped back in and handed John one towel. As she started to dry herself off, he wordlessly took it from her and began drying her off himself. From her neck to the bottom of her feet, he was very meticulous, He wanted to get to know the different parts of her body and he couldn't wait to explore what gave her the most pleasure. Elise was soft in all the right places but there was muscle there too. She was a fighter and had her share of scars also, though not as many as he had. He planned on finding out the story of each and every scar, sometime in the future. That brought him up short...he'd never thought about a future. He'd lived in the here and now for so long, he'd gotten use to thinking he had no future. But looking at Elise, he knew he wanted a future. A future with her.

After having herself dried quite thoroughly by John, Elise returned the favor. She helped him stand up so he was able to use the handles in the walls of the shower to steady himself while she was as meticulous as he had been. Wrapping a towel around John and then herself, she helped him back down the hall. She let him lean against the wall for a moment while she changed the sheets. Lying down on clean sheets, with a clean body felt like pure bliss to John. Reaching out with his left arm, he pulled Elise onto the bed and held her close. With her head on his good shoulder, she snuggled up and sighed contentedly. All the tension left John's body. He closed his eyes, hugged Elise tighter and slipped into a dreamless sleep.

Raising up on one elbow to watch him sleep, Elise realized she had fallen in love with this wonderful, irritating man. Fallen in love with him whole-heartedly. She smoothed his hair back from his forehead but a cowlick she had never noticed before, refused to lay down. It made her smile to know there was something normal about this amazing, beautiful man who had come into her life. Sliding out of bed she got herself dressed again and started cleaning up the bathroom before Zoe got back.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Elise left John sleeping after the exertion of his shower while Zoe said she'd stay and look after him. Elise knew she should feel guilty about taking advantage of a wounded man, but the thought of John as a poor defenseless guy had her laughing, especially after his performance in the shower. She also made a note to talk to Zoe about what was happening between John and herself. Zoe seemed ok with it, but Elise valued her friendship too much to take things for granted.

By the time Elise got to the marina, Carter and Fusco were already down there and had the boat checked out and ready to go. Elise had made arrangements to rent the fastest boat available.

"Hey there sunshine!" Fusco greeted her.

Elise just rolled her eyes at him rather than getting defensive about it as she might once have. "Hi, Detective."

"So, you think Glasses is being held out on a boat huh?" Fusco asked. It took Elise a second to put together 'Glasses' with Harold. She explained to both detectives why she thought that Harold was on a boat as they moved away from the boat slip.  
"So where'd you learn to shoot like that?" Fusco asked after they had been out on the water for an hour. Carter swung her eyes over to them and listened for Elise's answer.  
"I used to be in HRT. Things went down wrong one day and my partner was killed. I decided that I needed a new line of work." Elise felt uncomfortable telling them about her past before she had a chance to tell John about it. Then again, these two were cops. They probably knew what it was like to lose a partner and she doubted they'd mention anything to John about it.  
Two hours later, they still hadn't seen any sign of Harold. There were very few boats out this way. Not too many people wanted to pleasure boat around the area where the former trash dump was located. They'd stopped a few boats but none of them contained either Root or Harold. 'I know I'm right about this! I just know it.' As dusk fell, neither Carter nor Fusco said anything to her but she could see them exchanging looks. 'Just a few more minutes.' Elise told herself.  
Just ahead, the bow and stern lights of a large boat came into view. Elise said a silent prayer that Harold would turn out to be on this boat. She wasn't sure if she could convince Carter and Fusco to come out with her for another day of fruitless searching. It was now or never.  
As they slowly approached the boat, Elise kept a sharp eye out for any movement. She noted that there were lights on in the cabin and a small boat was tied up to the stern. They pulled alongside the boat just as they had all the others they'd encountered today and Carter yelled out, "NYPD! Permission to come aboard." There was no reaction from anyone on the boat. "NYPD! We need to speak to the captain!" Carter yelled again.  
From the forward cabin, a young dark-haired woman appeared. "What seems to be the trouble officer?" She asked. Elise stiffened as she thought she recognized the only she could see her in the light, Elise could be sure. In the next instant, she got her wish. The woman stepped into a pool of light from one of the lights on the side of the boat.  
'Fuck! It's her! It's Root!' Elise pointed her already drawn weapon at the woman. "Where the hell is Harold, bitch!" At that point Elise was ready to shoot now and ask questions later, but she remembered her training on hostage taking and reined in her emotions. Carter and Fusco, upon hearing Elise's exclamation, also drew their weapons.  
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean officer. Who's Harold?" Root asked innocently. Elise saw her eyes shift to the stern of the boat for just a brief second.  
"You sure, Sunshine?" Fusco asked, never taking his eyes off Root.  
"YES!" Elise hissed. All of a sudden, Root drew a weapon and fired it at them, diving for the floor. All three of them returned fire, diving for cover but when there was no response, they ceased fire and Elise pushed the boat up against the larger one and Fusco proceeded to tie them up to a cleat while Carter covered them all. As soon as she cut the engine, Elise leaped aboard the other boat and waited for Carter to come over as well. "Fusco, can you watch out for her while we search the boat?"  
"Yeah, just be quick, I don't like the way this is goin' down."  
Elise and Carter started with the forward cabin that Root had come out of. Inside they found a bed that had obviously been slept in and they cleared the small bathroom that was attached as well. Next they proceeded to what looked like a galley. Pots and pans were everywhere and there were several dirty dishes in the stacked in the small sink. There was still no sign of Harold or Root.  
In the next cabin, they found him. Elise ran to the bed where Harold was tied up and unconscious. She almost didn't recognize him, Harold's face was so swollen and bruised. Elise quickly but gently ran her hands down his body assessing the damage. When she reached his right side and lightly pressed on his ribs, Harold groaned and his eyes fluttered open.  
"E…Elise?" Harold groaned again. "What are you….? Where's that woman?" Just then they both heard shots being fired.

"Hang on Harold!" Elise grabbed her gun where she'd dropped it on the bed and she and Carter rushed out of the cabin and towards the stern where they'd left Fusco. When they got to him, he was down on the deck, clutching his shoulder and there was blood between his fingers.

"Fusco!" Carter exclaimed, leaning down and helping him up, taking off her jacket to wrap around Fusco's wounded shoulder.

"Sorry guys, she snuck past me and started up that extra boat. I shot at her, don't know if I connected but I went down when she shot back. Did you find Glasses? Is he alright?" Fusco asked.

"He's alive," Elise answered. "I need to go finish checking out how bad he is. Have you got Fusco?" This last was said to Carter who nodded at her.

Elise ran back to where Harold was and drew her knife, cutting him free. She then finished checking him over for injuries. When she discovered the three swollen fingers on his right hand, she began to cry.

"It's ok…Elise…." Harold gasped around the pain in his side. "They're only….. dislocated. She was bound….. and determined to get me… to tell her…. But I didn't…I didn't…." At that point Harold mercifully passed out again. They were going to have to move him, something that was bound to cause him a lot of pain. Elise dashed the tears from her eyes. At least his injuries seemed to be non life-threatening.

Elise dialed Reese and Zoe next. "We've found him but he's…he's bad…she dislocated his fingers. He's not going to be able to use a computer for awhile…." A sob escaped her at the thought of that cruelty.  
"Elise. Elise sweetheart, focus. What else is wrong with him?" Reese's voice on the line calmed her a bit and she explained Harold's other injuries.

"Oh, and Fusco's been shot in the shoulder. I don't know if the bullet's still there." Elise's voice broke again as she looked down at Harold lying so still on the bed.

"Bring Harold home Elise, bring him to the library. We have everything we need here, you know that." Reese's voice continued to quiet Elise's rising panic. "He's alive, you saved him...he will be ok". Holding onto the phone for dear life, Elise pressed it to her ear trying to get closer to Reese. She needed to hear his voice, to feel he was close. She'd been so strong, for so long...she had reached a saturation point. "Let me go so Zoe and I can get things ready for you when you get here. Be strong a little bit longer Elise...Harold needs you."

Elise snapped the phone shut and looked at Harold. Her heart ached for the damage that crazed woman had done to this gentle man. He was not a fighter. He shouldn't be exposed to such ugliness. Taking his swollen, beat up hands into her own, she took a moment to examine them. It was much easier with him unconscious. None of them seemed actually broken, they were just dislocated like Harold said. Taking a deep breath and holding it, she clenched her teeth and took his right hand in hers. With a quick, smooth motion she snapped the first finger back into alignment. Harold barely registered the pain. Surprised at her good luck, she quickly snapped the other two fingers back into place. Gently placing it down on his chest she took his left hand and proceeded to snap all four dislocated fingers back into place. Now his hands looked normal except for the swelling and that would go down with ice packs.

Carter ducked her head back into the cabin, taking in Elise sitting by Harold's side, holding one of his hands and staring at him intently.

"Hey, Elise...you ready to get him out of here? Can he walk under his own power?"

Never taking her eyes off of Harold, Elise answered, "He's unconscious right now but I think I can bring him around enough to at least get him off the boat."

"Good, make our job a whole lot easier. Fusco! Give us a hand here." shouted Carter.

Fusco replaced Carter in the doorway, holding his left arm. "I'm here, don't know what I can do with only one arm. " Groused Fusco. That caused Elise to look up and see the blood seeping through Fusco's fingers. She immediately went to him to check the wound.

"It's not too bad, looks like a bad graze. I can patch that up pretty easy at the library." Said Elise as she pulled his shirt away from the wound. Seeing that the bullet had passed between his arm and the Kevlar vest, she looked around for something to bandage it up temporarily. Finding linens in a cabinet she ripped one into strips, tying one onto Fusco's arm and using another one to tie around Harold's hands to keep them immobilized for the ride back to the library.

Elise rode on the back bench with Finch propped up next to her. She was holding his arm to steady him and in all honesty, to steady herself. The depth of her feelings for this man had been a surprise to her. After cutting herself off from any involvement with anyone for so long, she felt swamped with the strength of her feelings for Harold...and John. It was almost too much at one time. She was almost overwhelmed by it all. She had barely been able to accept how she felt about John and now added to that, were her feelings for Harold and what had been done to him. Different emotional connection for each man but at the center of each was her love for them.

Harold faded in and out of consciousness. He knew the nightmare was over but the wave action of the boat made him feel like he was still a captive. His thoughts were chaotic. Attractive young woman with big brown eyes and long hair smiling at him, talking animatedly to him and then he'd feel extreme pain in his fingers. He'd try to pull away but she was so strong. Feeling his fingers pop, one by one was pure torture. Then the woman would apologize and bring ice packs to put on his hands. The fingers were still dislocated but the ice did seem to numb the pain. She kept smiling and talking and talking and smiling, then she'd take the ice packs off and start working on another finger. The memory of the pain was enough to make Harold moan and softly cry "No, please no, no more".

Feeling him jerk and mumble in obvious pain, upset Elise. The more Harold cried out as he drifted in and out, the angrier she got about what had been done to him. She comforted him as best she could, whispered softly in his ear that he was safe with her and she was taking him home to the library. Over and over she kept telling him that she and John would not let anything else happen to him. As they neared the dock, he finally calmed down. His breathing was more normal and the tension she had felt in the arm she had been holding had finally eased. Gently waking him, she made sure he was cognizant of his surroundings and of her. She explained that they needed to get off the boat and into Detective Carter's car so they could go home. In a daze Harold looked at Elise and then looked at Carter and Fusco already on the dock. He finally realized he was actually safe. He tried to grab Elise's hand but gasped with the pain. He couldn't seem to move his hands or his fingers at all without a great deal of pain. Turning concerned eyes to Elise, he looked to her for reassurance.

"It's ok Harold. Your fingers were dislocated but not broken. I, um, popped them back into place but there is still some swelling. It will go down with more ice packs but you are OK. Do you understand me? You'll be able to use your hands again in a few days."

Looking down at his bandaged hands and then back into Elise's blue eyes, Harold saw compassion, concern, anguish and…..love. Something he had not seen in a very long time. In his heightened emotional state it almost undid him. But years of hiding himself from everyone, served him well and once again kept him from losing control. Giving Elise a small smile he nodded that he understood.

The drive back to the library was relatively quiet. Elise kept a firm hold on Harold's arm, to comfort him as well as her. Harold sat upright, trying to find a comfortable position in the car but gave up after five minutes. With the limitations of his neck and back and the abuse he had endured the last eight days he didn't think he'd ever feel the same. Then again, he was stronger than he appeared. He'd endured numerous surgeries and years of therapy to get where he was today and he'd done it all alone. But now he had Elise and John...he sighed and relaxed a bit more.

Getting Harold up to the 4th floor of the library, John and Zoe met them at the door. John took charge and helped get Finch to the hospital bed. Seeing Harold's bandaged hands and the bruises on his face, John's rage at his inability to keep Harold safe or even rescue him before this damage was done, knew no bounds. He owed Harold so much and he felt that he had failed him. He had to bite down on his frustration and anger and help Elise tend to him and Fusco.

Elise immediately went to the cabinet with the medical supplies and told Fusco to sit down in a chair. She cut away the sleeve of his shirt and cleaned the wound with antiseptic.

"OW!" Fusco exclaimed. When everyone turned to look at him, he got a sheepish look to his face and mumbled, "Sorry." Elise continued to clean out the wound and verified to Fusco that it was indeed a bad graze.

"I could stitch it up a little if you'd like me to, but I don't think it'll need it if **I **bandage it tightly enough."

Fusco just nodded, grateful to be spared the experience of having his flesh pierced by a needle. He was brave and all, he just hated damn needles! Once Elise was done, he and Carter took their leave.

Next Elise turned to Harold. Having him on the hospital bed helped her to better determine the extent of his injuries. Thank goodness that woman's torture was for not for an extended duration. Other than his hands, some bruised ribs and a few cuts on his face, Harold seemed to have gotten through his ordeal without too much physical injury. It was his emotional state that had Elise worried. She'd come to know Harold very well in their times together. Learning to 'read' him had become a challenge. She knew when he was tired, when his neck and back were causing him pain, she'd learned to tell when she was getting too close to something personal, she knew when he was reliving moments of his life that she was not privy to. Seeing that look in his eyes now, knowing it had to do with what he had experienced at the hands of that woman, caused Elise's hands to ball up into fists. She had an insane urge to hit something, anything to make that woman pay for what she had done to such a kind and gentle man as Harold.

Walking away from the bed, she reined in her anger to a more manageable level. That woman would pay...and pay dearly. No matter how long it took...she would pay...with her life if necessary.

John stood to the side watching Elise tend to Harold. Handing her gauze and wipes, holding Harold's hands while she splinted each finger, he was amazed at her control. Every move was sure, strong and steady. Now he knew how she'd been able to take care of him so well. His shoulder ached a little but he knew that the reason he was not in more pain was because of what she was doing now. He looked at Elise with a new appreciation and knew Harold was receiving the best care.

Once both hands were splinted and resting on ice packs and his face cleaned up, Harold finally drifted off to sleep, comfortable in the knowledge that he was with people who would protect him at all costs and that he no longer had to be stoic and guarded. He relaxed and let the tension flow out of his battered body, letting it get the rest it sorely needed.

Seeing that Harold was finally resting comfortably, John noticed the tired slump to Elise's shoulders. It dawned on him that while he'd slept after that ...amazing moment that he'd shared with Elise in the shower...she'd had to go out, doing HIS job in tracking down and rescuing Harold. She'd had no rest at all.

Walking over to her while she leaned on the desk with her head down, he reached out to touch her shoulder but paused, not sure of her reaction. The angry frown on her face told him she was still 'in the moment' of Harold's rescue.

Knowing her now as he did, he spoke quietly "We'll get her Elise. We WILL get her and she WILL pay for this."

Turning to face John, Elise's blue eyes now dark with pain, filled with tears. Hearing her own thoughts come out of his mouth finally broke the tenuous control she had. John reached out and pulled her into his embrace, wrapping his arms completely around her small frame. She buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. The sobs coming from Elise were muffled but her shoulders shook with the intensity of her crying. Leaning his head down, John kissed the top of her head. His left hand came up and buried itself in her hair and held her tightly.

Feeling her legs tremble as the tension from the night slowly unwound in her, John reached down and scooped her up in his arms, wincing only slightly as she didn't weigh very much and carried her to a chair off to the side of the hospital bed. Elise's arms reached up around his neck and pulled herself closer in his embrace as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. Backing up to it, he slowly sat down with her in his arms. Adjusting herself to fit more closely in his lap, she finally completely gave into all the events that had happened over the last several days.

John hugged her tightly. He was amazed that she was actually so small. She always seemed to be bigger than life, so full of spit and vinegar. Her anger and fire gave the appearance that she was larger than she actually was. Cradling her with his left arm, he used his right hand to brush her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear, as was his want. That tingle that affected Elise every time he did broke through her anguish and caused her to look up into his clear blue eyes. The understanding of what she was feeling, without her having to put it into words, was welcome.

Closing her eyes once again, she sighed deeply and snuggled closer into John's welcome embrace, murmuring 'Harold?"

John quickly answered. "He's resting. We're right next to him. If he needs us, we'll be here for him." The rumble in his chest as he spoke quietly, calmed Elise even more and she gave into her exhaustion. Gently resting his head on Elise's, John also felt the tension drain out of him. Harold was safe, Elise was safe and for the moment, he was content.

Zoe let herself back into the library using Reese's keys. He'd asked her to get something to eat for all of them. Noticing the unusual quiet, she walked silently to the area of the hospital bed. Once again she was met with an unexpected sight. Elise and John were sitting in the stuffed chair next to the hospital bed. She was curled up in John's lap, nestled up under his chin. His long legs stretched out in front of him, his left arm holding onto Elise like he'd never let go and his head was resting on hers. But it was his right hand that caught her attention. It rested lightly on the bed, not touching Harold. Puzzled, Zoe put down the bags of food she'd brought in.

The sound of the rustling bags must have roused Harold slightly and caused him to move his arms. That slight movement was felt by John's hand resting on the bed. His head came up and his eyes opened immediately. Hugging Elise tighter with his left hand, he turned his eyes to the bed. Seeing a frown on Harold's face, he leaned over and whispered in Elise's ear. Her eyes flew open and she scrambled off John's lap.

"Harold, Harold...can you hear me?" Elise asked softly as she began checking the bandages on his hands and his face. "Harold, it's me, Elise, can you hear me?" She almost begged. The longer he took to respond to her, the more worried she became. 'What if there was more wrong with him than I thought? What if I haven't done enough? What if I'm wrong and we should have gotten a REAL doctor to treat him?' The faster the questions came the closer she came to hysteria.

Seeing the wildness return to her eyes, Reese stood up and walked quickly around to the other side of the bed. "Harold, open your eyes. You need to wake up now and show Elise you're ok." Speaking calmly and quietly, he shook Harold's shoulder very lightly.

"John?" Elise whispered, looking at him for support. "What if...what if I..." she trailed off looking back at Harold. Checking the bandages again on his head, she tried to determine if there was any new swelling, any possible bump on his head that she had missed previously. But nothing seemed any different from her first examination, bruises, scrapes, and cuts, none bad enough for stitches. Carefully checking his shoulders and arms, she made sure that she hadn't missed a broken bone. 'Why isn't he waking up?' She thought frantically.

All of a sudden Harold took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. His eyes opened up and he flinched. A stifled moan escaped his lips as he tried to pull away from Elise's touch. His eyes took on a wildness that neither John nor Elise had seen before. Without his glasses he wasn't sure where he was or who was leaning over him. Elise laid one hand to the side of his face and quietly called his name, "Harold, it's me, Elise. John's here. You're home, you're ok." She repeated it over and over, softly and slowly until she could see understanding show in his face. His rapid breathing had slowed down to a more normal rhythm.

"Elise? John?" Harold blinked and squinted. John reached over and picked up his glasses and placed them on Harold's face. The faces leaning over him came into focus. "That woman...that woman, she..." Harold whispered.

"She's gone Harold. She got away. But we'll find her. We'll find her and she will pay for this!" Elise said hoarsely.

"No ...No...you know I don't like violence. Please, no violence!" Harold said in an agitated voice. "Please no more violence...not for me."

Stepping into the conversation, John put his hand on Elise's shoulder and squeezed, causing her to look up at him. He barely shook his head at her, telling her without words to back off and not pursue it at this time. Elise looked back at Harold and smiled. Taking a deep breath she shook off the need for revenge... for the moment. "Ok Harold, let me finish checking you out. Tell me where you hurt."

Watching the three of them, Zoe almost felt like an intruder in a private family moment. That gave her pause; because that's what they were...a family made up of three lonely, damaged people. She found herself actually envying the obviously strong feelings the three of them shared. It made her realize how lonely her own life had been until she'd met Elise. But they'd never developed this kind of closeness, at least not until the night of the gala.

Zoe stepped forward and made her presence known and that she had food. Everyone was apparently hungry and immediately dived right in. Elise took on the job of feeding Harold who was having trouble with his damaged hands. She could tell he was frustrated with his inability to touch things.

"Don't worry Harold. You'll be back to normal in no time. Otherwise it'll be John playing with the computers." She teased.

Harold smiled at her, "Then I best heal fast hadn't I or we'll ALL be in trouble!"

As things returned more and more to normalcy, Harold relaxed and seemed more himself. The trauma of his experience had marked him but he was a survivor. Looking at his bandaged hands he remembered those moments that Root had tortured him. He wasn't ready to tell John everything that had happened, not yet. And seeing the obvious concern in Elise's eyes he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to tell her.

After eating, Zoe noticed the shadows under Elise's eyes and the weariness in John's shoulders. Stepping up to be a part of this 'family' she made a decision. "John, why don't you take Elise home? I can stay here with Harold. Since Elise patched him up so well, I think I can handle any problems that may come up." She said with a smile.

"Is that ok with you Elise?" She knew it was always best to include Elise in any decision that involved her BEFORE she got her back up about being excluded from the decision making.

Looking at Harold to make sure he was ok with it, Elise glanced at John and saw the tiredness she felt. He was still recovering from his wounds and looked like he was at the end of his tether. "Ok, we'll leave, but you call me for anything Zoe...anything!" Leaning over she kissed Harold on the cheek and whispered to him "I love you Harold Finch and don't you ever leave me again." Squeezing his shoulder she went to gather her things. John stood over Harold for a moment and said nothing. Reaching out with his right hand he also squeezed Harold's shoulder and turned and left before too much showed in his face. He wasn't quite ready to deal with the depth of his feelings over what had happened in the last couple of days. He needed to work that out himself, by himself.

Meeting John at the door, Elise had her bag full of dirty, blood stained clothes and a backpack filled with her weapons that she'd used during the warehouse raid and Finch's rescue, an interesting assortment to be sure. John grabbed her by the arm and propelled her down the hall, effectively stopping her from saying anything else to Zoe or Finch.

"I'm taking you to my place. You've never told me where you live and I'm too damn tired to try and pry it out of you." He said gruffly. Nodding her head, Elise let John guide her down the stairway to the street.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Pulling Elise along the hallway and the downstairs, Reese was ready to get out of there. The relief they all felt at Harold's recovery was the linchpin for getting away...away with Elise. Looking down at her as he headed toward the car, realized he was walking so fast that she was almost running to keep up. Slowing down he had to catch her from running ahead due to her momentum.

"Finally! Your damn long legs almost killed me! I was taking two to three steps to every one of yours." Panted Elise. She pulled her arm away and shifted her backpack to the other shoulder and adjusted the weapons bag in her hand. Realizing he was holding nothing, he reached down to take the weapons bag and she snatched it away from him. "Hey, that's MY gear, MY responsibility! Just keep your hands off!" She bristled, and kept on walking. He stopped to watch her stomp away and had to smile. Even though things had changed between them, obviously not everything had changed between them.

After loading the bags in the trunk, they got in the car. Driving in NYC was always an adventure but Reese wanted nothing like an adventure on this drive. Putting the car in gear, he floored it and barked the tires. That got Elise's attention. She looked over at Reese as he maneuvered through traffic, calmly and efficiently. When he got a little bit of space he took off. The acceleration pushed Elise back into the seat. Watching Reese move in and out of traffic with his left hand on the wheel and his right arm loosely draped over the back of the seat, Elise smiled. As methodical as he was on job, he apparently liked speed in a car...and she did too.

Reese's fingertips lightly touched her shoulder, sending a shiver all the way through her. Making contact with a lock of her hair, he began to wrap his fingers around it and through it, loving the silky texture. Elise closed her eyes and enjoyed the tingling that began at the top of her head and travelled down her neck. Glancing over at Elise with her eyes closed and head leaning back on the seat, Reese almost ran a red light. Slamming on the brakes and grabbing the steering wheel he brought the car under control. Forgetting he had her hair wrapped around his fingers, he pulled hard trying to grab the steering wheel causing Elise to cry out. Being thrown forward in the seat belt didn't help either.

"What the hell? Do you need ME to drive? What where you doing? Why weren't you watching road?" Grumbled Elise, rubbing her head where her hair had been pulled.

Things were not going as he'd hoped. He wanted things to slow down, wanted them both to be able to relax, to take time to discover each other and see if things felt the same as they did in the heat of the moment. Pulling her hair and almost throwing her through a windshield was not conducive to the kind of evening he hoped they would share.

Turning into the underground garage, Reese refrained from answering Elise's questions. The less said the better, he had discovered, when Elise was in a rant. He'd been the target of those rants and really didn't want to go there tonight. Parking the car and retrieving the bags from the trunk they rode up the elevator in silence. Cutting his eyes to watch Elise, he was pleased to see that the angry frown was gone...but it was replaced with obvious signs of fatigue. Opening the door for her, he stepped back to let her go in first. She'd been to his loft only once, and that was after one of those 'moments' that he and Elise kept having. He'd brought her here to get dressed after he'd found her half frozen in a crate. She had been one fiery hellcat when she'd stormed out, wearing some safe house clothing that Finch had purchased for Carter. Thinking of her flouncing out and slamming the door brought a smile to Reese's face.

Walking in, carrying her backpack and weapons bag, Elise stopped at the edge of the bedroom/living room...space. That was the only thing she could think to call it. There were no walls. It was one huge room with minimal furniture. The kitchen was off to her right, the bed was in front of her to the left. Straight ahead was a long wall full of huge windows. There was a desk between two of the windows. A couch and coffee table were in the living room 'space'. It was beautiful but Spartan. Definitely a man's place. No soft touches, no pictures, no bric-a-brac on the tables. She turned to face Reese and asked "How long have you been living here? It looks exactly like the last time I was...uh...here." Her cheeks turned pink as she remembered the 'why' she had been here before. "Never mind, that's none of my business." She continued on to the couch, extremely conscious of the bed off to her left.

"Finch gave it to me as a birthday present, I've only been here about two months. My previous ...uh...accommodations were enough for me but he had already bought it and I didn't want to hurt his feelings. Besides, it's got a great view." Walking over to the bank of windows he looked out and down into the park where he'd meet his friend to play chess. Putting down her bags on the couch she walked over and stood beside him looking out. It was beautiful. Just high enough, compared to surrounding buildings, to keep the casual observer from peeking in the windows. Which was good thing because there were no curtains! Looking up Elise was surprised to see how big the windows actually were...at least ten feet high. The window ledge she was leaning against was deep, at least twenty-four inches. Soft cushions padded all of the bottoms of the windows, effectively making each window a window seat. Looking back at the couch she realized that the only furniture was the couch, the desk and the bed. There were stools by the bar in the breakfast area. But the window seats provided comfort and a view.

After a moment of taking in the blinking lights and watching the cars move slowly up and down the streets, Reese casually asked if she would like to take a shower, looking out the window but watching her face in the reflection.

"Oh yes, please! I would dearly love that!" cried Elise. She turned and grabbed her backpack and then paused. She had a few t-shirts in her bag but that was it. All she really had was what she had on. The rest of her clothes were torn and blood stained. Biting her bottom lip she wondered what she should do. She really wanted to burn them. They reminded her of Reese being injured and unconscious.

Watching her reflection, Reese was amazed at how he was learning to read her facial expressions. Feeling the time was right he cleared his throat and turned to face her. "Since you started working with us on a semi-regular basis, Harold bought some clothes for you." Holding his hand up to stop her from protesting, he continued. "There are some here and some at the other safe houses he has. They're brand new and he bought them especially for you. So if you want me to get rid of those other clothes, I can."

Closing her eyes, Elise smiled, thinking again how much she loved Harold Finch and the way he took care of her without her even knowing. "Yes, I would appreciate you getting rid of these clothes. You can burn them for all I care." She said smiling at Reese.

"Let me get them for you and I'll bring them to the bathroom. You remember where it is?" Asked John as he walked over to an armoire.

Opening the door he found jeans, a t-shirt and some rather dainty lingerie. Imagining Elise in them caused him to feel the strong stirrings of desire, even as tired as he was.

Walking into the bathroom Elise was impressed with the military neatness that permeated the entire area. Royal blue towels were folded just so, perfectly aligned with each other. Matching washcloths folded on top. Bottles of soap, shampoo and conditioner were lined up as if ready for inspection. Toothbrush and toothpaste in their proper place. The blue and white stripe motif of the room itself gave off a clean and airy feeling, relaxing in its simplicity. Shutting the door she turned on the shower and let the steam build.

A quick rap on the door and she heard Reese call her name. Cracking the door open she quickly grabbed the clothes he offered and shut the door and locked it. She really needed her privacy right now. Putting the pile of new clean clothes by the shower, she stripped quickly and jumped in the shower. It was pure heaven to stand under the pulsing hot shower and feel it wash away all the pain, all the hurt and all the tiredness that had crept into her bones. Taking her time she scrubbed until her skin was bright pink. Washing her hair always relaxed her.

Climbing out of the shower she grabbed one of the blue bath towels on the sink. It was huge! Wrapping it around herself, it covered from under her arms to almost her ankles. Thinking of John, she realized being such a tall man he probably needed the bigger towels. Thinking of him drying himself off with this same towel, she smiled and buried her face in its softness. Towel drying her hair she looked at herself in the mirror. 'I wonder what John sees when he looks at me?' She mused. 'I'm awfully short compared to him, but I can hold my own pretty well in a fight. He seems to like my hair, he keeps playing with it.' Using a comb from her bag, she attacked the tangles till her hair was smooth. As it dried the waves became more obvious. Taking a lock and wrapping it around her finger she stared at the mirror. 'Why does he like to do this? And why does he always put it behind my ear? I come completely undone when he does that...and I think he knows it!' She muttered.

Taking a deep breath and ignoring the clothes on the chair by the shower, she opened the door and walked out. Reese was nowhere to be seen. Then she remembered he was probably taking care of the clothes like she asked. Good riddance! Wandering around the huge room she ended up at the middle window on the wall. Sitting down on the cushion she pulled her knees up. Leaning back against one side of the window frame, she was able to prop her feet up on the other side. Looking out into the night she was mesmerized. So many people going on about their everyday lives, all tied up in their own microcosm...some interacting with others and some not. The people down there were happy, sad, angry, such a mass of humanity. Leaning her head against the glass she imagined how each life was different. Each set of circumstances predicted how each individual's day flowed.

Being so caught up in her musings, Elise was only vaguely aware that Reese had come back into the loft. Seeing her silhouetted against the night sky, he quietly shut the door and stood there watching her. His towel covered her completely, all he could see were her shoulders. Her hair was hanging down loose and beginning to turn into waves. He could just barely make out her bare feet up against the frame of the window. He was in awe that she was here...with him. After all the things they had been through, good, bad, embarrassing, dangerous, she still trusted him enough to come here. His desire to be with her was growing stronger and stronger.

He slid quietly into the bathroom and took his own shower, taking care to keep his shoulder wound dry. 'I don't need her fussing over that now', he thought. Climbing out of the shower he wrapped one of the blue towels around his waist. It fit him just right, reaching down to his knees. Opening the bathroom door he found she was still sitting in the same window. He silently walked over to her and softly called her name. "Elise..."

Smiling slightly, she turned her head and looked up at him. "I knew you were there. I knew when you came back in and even when you went to take a shower." Her smile got even bigger, "I wouldn't last very long in my line of work if I didn't keep track of who was where and what they were doing."

Reese almost snorted, "Well, so much for my stealthy moves I guess."

Elise pulled her feet back towards herself, making just enough room for John to sit down across from her. As he sat down he had to rearrange his towel. Her smile, her bare shoulders and her bare feet were all causing a reaction in his body that the towel was not hiding. Seeing his discomfort, she stretched out her legs until they rested in his lap. Watching him, with a smile that showed she knew exactly what she was doing, she raised one eyebrow and slowly moved her feet, brushing up against his growing erection. John sucked in his breath and looked at her, noticing how the moonlight streaming through the window accented the contour of her face, the smoothness of her cheek and the lusciousness of her lips. Her eyes looked even darker than their normal dark blue, telling him that his desire was matched by hers.

Reaching out, he grabbed one stray curl, wrapped it around his finger. Leaning forward, he kissed that curl and carefully placed it behind her ear. Once again Elise was transported to another level by that one simple act. Her lips parted, her tongue peeked out and wet her lips. Growling quietly John took his right hand that had held the curl and moved it around under her hair to the back of her neck, pulling her toward him so he could capture those lips. The light touch of their lips ignited the burning embers that had been smoldering since their encounter in the shower. Deepening the kiss, his left hand reached out and found the edge of the towel wrapped around Elise. Pulling it slightly, it slowly came undone and slid down to her waist, leaving her breasts bare. The coolness of the room caused her nipples to harden immediately. Capturing one, he felt its fullness fill his hand. Elise moaned into his mouth as he stroked its peak. Reaching up she pulled his right hand down to her other breast and held it there, never breaking the kiss.

Pulling his towel back, pulling hers off, once again Elise straddled John. Grasping him by the neck, she leaned back with his hands on her breasts. Looking at him though half closed eyes, she slowly lowered herself onto him until she had taken him all in. Opening his eyes, John was transfixed by the sight of Elise totally abandoned and she was beginning to move. Closing her eyes once again, she began to slowly ride him...all the way up and then all the way down...ever so achingly slow. Her hair cascaded down her back, swaying back and forth with every movement. Pulling and playing with her nipples one last time, he then slid his hands from her breasts to her back and then down to her bottom. He gripped her firmly and began to coax her to pick up the pace. Slow was nice to start with, but they were both past that point now. Pulling her head back up and sitting up straighter, she leaned toward John's face, presenting him with a pink rosebud nipple begging to be suckled. As he put his mouth to one she bowed her head so her hair covered him. The electricity he felt with her silky hair on his face, hard nipple in his mouth, firm behind in his hands and her velvet glove grasping his manhood, was beyond anything he'd experienced in…..God, forever. The faster he moved her, the louder her moans became. Still holding him to her chest she gave into the ecstasy that filled her and breathed out "John". One last downward thrust from Elise pushed John over the edge. They came together in a violent explosion of pleasure. Both shook with the intensity of the feelings they shared...both physical and emotional.

Minutes later, resting comfortably on his lap, with him still safely inside her, Elise took her hands and placed them on both sides of John's face. Looking deeply into his eyes she saw completeness...for herself and for him. This was as it should be, and would always be. She leaned in and gently kissed his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.

John couldn't imagine a better feeling than having this small, beautiful woman in his arms. He tucked her head under his and just enjoyed the feeling of holding her. He felt her body relax slowly and he began to drift off as well, images of a dark-haired beauty filling his dreams.

It must have been an hour or so later when John woke again. The moon was still in the sky indicating that it was not dawn yet. He stirred and shifted Elise on his lap. As he did so, she whimpered and he reached down and caressed her hair. "Shh, it's ok sweetheart. I'm here." Elise sighed and he felt her eyelashes flutter against his chest as she opened them and took in her surroundings.

"Mmm, John." She rubbed her cheek against the sparse hair on his chest and then kissed him there as well. "John, I'm a bit cold here. Can you hand me a towel?"

"No, let's just go to bed and get under the covers. Here, I'll carry you." And he shifted her from his lap to his arms.

"John no! You'll pull your stitches!" Elise exclaimed, jumping up. "I appreciate it but I can walk."

"Elise, you hardly weigh anything. I can carry you." He said.

Elise smiled at him and took ahold of his hand and walked with him towards the bed. All of a sudden, she felt rather shy which was strange considering they'd already made love twice. He must have sensed her reluctance because he stopped close to the bed and took her face in both hands and tilted it up towards his.

"Elise honey, I just want you to know that I'm…..I'm in this for the long haul, if you are. These feelings I have for you…. They're so new but I…I don't think they're going to go away. I hope you feel the same. If you don't you need to let me know now, before…."

She never gave him a chance to finish. She reached up and pulled his mouth down to hers and gave him her answer through a kiss. It started out sweetly but quickly turned passionate when he realized what she was trying to say. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her up close to his body, reveling in the feeling of her soft skin pressed against him.

Elise couldn't get enough of him, her hand began roaming up and down his back while he pushed himself into her. She felt his hard arousal pressed against her belly and she brought her hands around intent on touching him there.

Instead, John pulled back. "No Elise. You've done all the work so far. I want to return the favor." He gently backed her up, kissing her the entire time until the back of her legs hit the bed. He slowly lowered them both down without breaking the kiss while she marveled and his skill and the feelings he was able to produce in her without half trying.

Once they were settled next to each other, John started to deepen his kisses. His tongue swept over her lips and drew one into his mouth. When Elise sighed with pleasure, he dipped his tongue further into her mouth where he encountered her own and they dueled for a second until she finally let him take control of the kiss. He withdrew his tongue and then plunged it in again and again, mimicking what he would soon be doing to her body. Meanwhile, his hands moved down from her neck to the swell of her breasts and he cupped one, rubbing the nipple with his thumb. Elise pushed her body up into his hand and his lips left her mouth and travelled down her neck to her breasts. He hovered over one nipple and blew on it. She tried to push her body upwards to make contact with that wonderful mouth, but he just pulled back and when she settled down, he did it again, driving her crazy.

"John!" Elise cried in frustration.

He smiled and asked her in a husky voice, filled with sexual promise, "Is this what you want, Elise?" And his tongue came out and licked her nipple, but just once. He blew on it again and it hardened further. She moaned and reached for his head, diving her fingers into his short hair.

"Or would you rather I do this?" And with those words, he drew her nipple into his mouth and sucked hard.

The effect on her was immediate. His hot, wet mouth drawing on her nipple felt so exquisite that she cried out with the pleasure. In the next second, he started squeezing and rolling her other nipple in his hand and she felt the shock waves spread from her breasts down between her legs.

Once again, John must have known what she wanted because his mouth switched to her other breast while one hand played with her other nipple and his second hand..oh God! His second hand moved south along her belly until it reached the junction of her thighs. Almost of their own accord, her legs parted and John's hand dove between them. He plunged two fingers inside of her at the same time as he sucked harder on her nipple. Elise's body practically bowed off the bed as she screamed his name.

John withdrew his fingers and once more plunged them inside of her while simultaneously increasing the pressure on her nipple. He repeated this over and over again until Elise was panting with need. Finally, he rubbed his thumb over her clit and felt her come apart underneath him, her inner muscles gripping his fingers still inside her. He quickly withdrew his fingers but before she could feel their loss, he drove his shaft inside her and shouted as he felt her warmth grip him, her muscles still contracting with the power of her climax. He pulled out and drove into her again and again, for several minutes until he felt her tensing underneath him. He thrust in harder one more time and once again she climaxed and on the next thrust, he followed her over the edge.

Elise felt him lose control and she held onto him, wrapping her legs around him as they both came down from their high. A couple of minutes later, John slid out of her and collapsed on the bed next to her. "Elise, you're going to be the death of me. I can't imagine what you'll be like when you're feeling rested."

She just smirked at him and then said, "Guess you'll just have to wait and see." He laughed at her sassy comment and pulled her close up against his body, covering them both with a blanket.

"You'll have to keep up with me then." He whispered in her ear and felt her answering grin before both of them sighed and relaxed into an exhausted sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Elise slowly came awake, surrounded by warmth and comfort. There was a slight snoring in her right ear. Flexing her shoulders slightly she found herself suddenly engulfed in a bear hug with long arms and legs. Smiling to herself, she snuggled deeper into that warm embrace and sighed deeply. She couldn't remember ever feeling this content.

A low growl sounded as she felt a nibble on her ear. Her ear was her apparent trigger point and she reacted immediately with a catch in her breathing. Arching her neck she offered more of herself to that questing mouth now sucking on her earlobe. A breathless moan escaped her parted lips as fire began moving through her body, bringing it to full wakefulness.

The more awake she became, the more memories flooded back to her of the night she had just spent with John. Images of eyes and smiles, and arms and legs, appeared in her mind's eye along with memories of sensations. Sensations that made her throb and shiver at the same time. Throb with longing for the night to go on forever and shiver with the intensity of the feelings, physical and emotional, that she never knew existed.

Her head was resting on John's left arm. His hand was curled up over the top of her head, lightly stroking her hair every so often. His right arm was holding her tightly against him. Her back was pressed against his chest and her hips were pressed even tighter tohis.His legs were drawn up right under hers, almost like she was sitting in his lap.

Again a smile appeared on her face...spooning, that's what they were doing. Slowly moving her hips from side to side she was rewarded with an answering 'touch' by John. The change in his breathing let her know he was aware of her and what she was doing. Turning only her head,she rubbed against his chin, feeling the stubble. The raspy feeling of his beard was a stark contrast to the smoothness of hands as they began to move. His right hand slowly released her arm and moved down. Following the curve of her hip to her stomach, it slowly began its smooth journey upward. Finally making contact with her right breast, John slowly kneaded the fullness in his hand. With very little encouragement, her nipple sprang to attention. Feeling it come to life under his hand he used his fingers to gently roll it, bringing it to an aching point of pleasure. After her right breast was tingling with sensation, he moved his hand over to her left breast and brought it to the same state of arousal.

As John's hand woke other parts of her body, Elise began moving her hips in a more purposeful manner. Feeling John's reaction to her movements and the feel of her breast in his hand she turned her torso slightly in his arms to give him more access. Curled in the safety and security of his arms she gave into the power of her arousal. Reaching behind her she felt the light furriness of his belly and traced his happy trail to the prize. Grasping him tightly she felt him come completely awake. Opening her eyes she looked over her shoulder and saw his blue eyes deepen in color as she watched him...watching her. Moving and tilting ever so slightly, she was able to guide him from behind into her now slick entrance.

Both of them gasped at the same moment. The passion between them flared quickly to life, as if it had never died down from the night before. Holding Elise closer to him, John slowly thrust his hips until he was buried deep within her. Wrapping both arms around her completely and anchoring her close to him so that she could easily receive his thrusts, John nuzzled her neck and teased her ear. As he slowly began to move in and out he moved his right hand down her belly to the soft triangle between her legs. Gently parting her, he found her clit and began to massage it slowly, in perfect rhythm to his thrusts.

Elise gave into the magic that was John. He was everywhere around her, above her, behind her, in her. Every part of her was soaring to a fever pitch. Fire raced under her skin where ever he touched. His mouth was nipping at her neck with small bites that were followed by immediate sucking of the bitten part to inflame her even more. His right hand continued its sweet torment of her clit, bringing her almost to the edge but not quite. His left hand had moved from under her head and now was firmly massaging her left breast, rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger causing her to lean into his hand.

With head thrown back against his shoulder, her neck, with red marks from his nipping and sucking, Elise was completely in John's thrall. She no longer had control of her body...she had surrendered it to him...completely and totally. Holding her tightly against his chest, John could feel her heart beating strongly under his left hand. He felt the throbbing between her legs with his right hand. He began to thrust harder and deeper into the very soul of Elise. He felt he could not get close enough to her to satisfy his need.

Realizing that he could hold back no longer, John picked up the pace of both his thrusts and his manipulation of her. Finally he gave Elise what she had been seeking...release. He released both her and himself.

As their breathing came back to normal, they fell into a relaxed slumber. John's arms once again hugged her tightly, pulling her back again his chest and curling more securely around Elise. Elise snuggled deeper into his embrace. It was as if they could not get close enough to each other and they both enjoyed the feeling of completeness.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, more and more sunlight shone through the wall of windows, bringing the outside in. The brightness roused Elise. She had been cradling John's hands in front of her, hugging them close. Now she laced her fingers within his and gently squeezed his hands.

"John. John...wake-up. " She murmured. Rolling her shoulders she finally got a response from him, but not the one she expected.

He breathed her name into her ear and nibbled on her earlobe. Goose bumps immediately ran from her ear down to her toes causing her to let out a low moan. John's response was instantaneous. She felt him come to life behind her, ready, willing and eager.

"Morning Elise." Mumbled John. Using his right hand, he smoothed her hair behind her ear. That touch caused Elise to roll slightly onto her back and stop him before he continued. "John. We really need to get up and take a shower and check in on Harold and Zoe."

"Mmmmm. Soon." was the only response John gave. Continuing with his right hand, he traced every line on her face with his fingers. His eyes taking in every detail: the color of her lips, the smoothness of her cheek, the arch of her eyebrows. When he looked into her eyes he found himself falling.

Elise looked up at John, inches from her face. She saw the man she had given herself to last night with total abandon. Surrendered herself, like she never had before. She'd never believed she would become so lost in a man that she didn't know where she left off and he began. Reaching up with her left hand she found herself mimicking his actions and tracing every line of his face: the angle of his cheekbones, the shape of his mouth...and his eyes. His beautiful blue eyes that seem to see everything, while giving nothing away. Until now. It was like the doors that had kept the world out were now thrown open. The shadows she'd seen lurking in their depths was gone. He was completely open to her, was hiding nothing. This was the real John Reese and she was grateful of the trust he was placing in her.

Moving her hand until she was able to reach the back of his neck, she slowly pulled him down to her, keeping her eyes open as he neared and only closing them a second before their lips touched. Tentative at first, almost shyly, their lips brushed against each other. One light kiss was followed by another, each kiss a little more passionate than the one before it. Turning her body completely, Elise stretched out causing John to straighten his legs as she pressed herself against him from head to toe. Their tongues danced back and forth, exploring the taste and feel of each other.

Breaking the kiss, John pulled back and looked at Elise, "What about that shower?" He asked. Elise, eyes dilated with building passion pulled him back down into the kiss for her answer. Breaking the kiss one more time, John teased her, "You woke me up for a shower, so let's get to it."

Groaning loudly, Elise tried to pull him back down but he was having none of it. Sliding to the end of the bed he grasped her ankles and slowly pulled her toward him. Kicking back at him lightly she could not free her legs from his strong hands so she gave up, laughing at the look of determination on his face. When she was finally at the end of the bed he let go of her ankles and reached down to pull her up. Scrambling to her feet by herself she stood on the bed facing him. The added height of the bed made her just a little bit taller than he was. She placed her hands on both sides of his face, smiled into his eyes and gave him a kiss that curled his toes. His hands immediately grabbed her by her hips and pulled her against him. Wrapping her arms around his neck she straddled his hips and locked her ankles behind his back. Using his hands on her hips, he picked her up and headed to the bathroom, never breaking the kiss.

As he carried her to the bathroom Elise began to giggle. The giggle turned into a full throated laugh with her head thrown back. She was having fun! John looked at her joy and felt it reflect in himself. He was so at ease with this woman, this dynamo who careened into his life on a dark street and his world had not been the same since, a fact for which he was eternally grateful.

Walking into the bathroom John set Elise down on the counter and turned to the shower. Turning it on and adjusting the temperature, he shut the door and turned to look at her. Her long dark hair hung down almost to her waist. Her breasts peeked out between the wavy locks in the front, asking for attention. Walking back to her he grasped a lock of hair and wrapped it around his finger. He liked the heavy, silky feeling of it. Using his other hand he placed a lock behind her ear, knowing the immediate reaction it would cause. And it did. Elise looked up, the blue in her eyes got darker and her lips parted. Stepping up to her on the counter, he pushed between her knees. She wiggled forward until she was flush against him, the counter being the perfect height to push herself up against his growing hardness. She then pulled her knees up until her feet were on the edge of the counter. Leaning her upper body back against the mirror, her body was ready for him. With no help he slipped right into her welcoming channel. Leaning over her with his hands on the counter to support his weight, he began the dance they had perfected; in and out, ever so slowly. Almost all the way out but not quite, then slowly sliding in all the way to the hilt, over and over with a slight increase of speed.

Elise wrapped her arms around his neck and gave into the feeling that was building within her. Liquid fire coursed through her veins, tingles raced from her finger tips to her toes. Her breath came in gasps and her eyes were half closed.

John watched Elise come undone below him. He felt her muscles grab a hold of him, trying to keep him from pulling out but then tightening when he was pushing himself back in. Each stroke was almost torture in its incredible sensation. He became lost in the power of the same liquid fire that Elise was feeling. With every inward stroke he whispered her name, with every outward stroke Elise whispered his name. They came together at the same moment in an explosion of passion. Passion for each other that knew no bounds. Gasping the other's name they clung to each other, letting the waves of pleasure slowly ebb.

Holding Elise tightly, John rested his chin on top of her head and looked in the mirror and smiled. A low rumble in his chest signaled to Elise that something had amused him. Leaning back in his arms, she kept her legs locked around him and tilted her head to look at him. "What's so funny Mr. Reese?" She asked with a smile.

Looking down at her he grinned and nodded his head toward the mirror. "Apparently we generated enough heat to fog the mirror!"

Turning her head she saw the entire mirror was indeed fogged up. "Well we are HOT together don't you think?" Teased Elise. Relaxing her legs from around him, she turned toward the mirror and drew a big smiley face with her finger. Sliding off the counter, she slipped into the shower. Leaning out of the door she crooked her finger at him to follow her. Smiling a smile only for her, he was hers to command. Stepping into the shower he shut the door. Reaching out for Elise and pulling her to him, they stepped under the hot water. Luxuriating in the feeling of the hot water as flowed over them, John ran his fingers through Elise's hair, loving the feel of it, the weight of it. Elise had her arms wrapped around John's waist and stood with her eyes closed as he massaged the water into her hair, loving the feel of his touch, firm and proprietary.

That thought caught her off guard and she opened her eyes with a start to find John looking at her, watching her. Giving him a slight smile she reached for the shampoo. Taking it from her he shook his head. "This time I get to do the honors."

Pouring some shampoo into his hand he turned her around so that her back was to the water but pulled her toward him. He massaged the shampoo into her hair starting with the top of her head and working his way down. Taking his time, he enjoyed the feel of her hair between his fingers, he liked the way it clung to her body...outlining every angle of her ears, her shoulders, her breasts. By covering her up it only ignited his desire to see the skin that was hidden. Still with shampoo on his hands he slid his hand under her hair and around her neck. Kneading her neck until he could feel the tension being released, he watched her closely, wanting to know how she reacted to what he was doing. She stood there facing him, eyes closed, arms around his waist but swaying slightly with every firm movement of his hands on her neck. Using both hands he slid down her neck to her shoulders and began the same firm massage he'd used on her neck. Again, feeling the tension ease out, he moved lower. Sliding his hands down her shoulders to her back, he used his fingers to seek out the knots in her back and he felt her slowly beginning to unwind.

The more relaxed she became the less her hands were holding onto him. Growling low in his throat John whispered in her ear to hold on to him that he wasn't done yet. Barely able to open her eyes, she looked at him and nodded. Clasping her hands behind him she pulled herself a little closer, letting the shower rinse the shampoo and soap off of both of them, leaving the skin feeling slick and sensitive. As the tension flowed out of her back, John's hands began their journey to the prize he'd been seeking since her saw her sitting on the sink with her breasts peeking through her dark hair. For a woman her size she was well endowed. Each breast filled his large hands, almost to over flowing. Loving the feel of the weight of each one he slowly began to massage them. Holding one in each hand he rubbed his thumb over each nipple and enjoyed seeing how quickly they responded. There they were, begging to be suckled. He knelt down in front of her and began to gently suck on one nipple while keeping the other occupied with his fingers. Elise's legs almost buckled when his mouth took her in. Her hands, now free, ran through his hair and clasped him to her. Throwing her head back she gave into the sensation that centered on her breasts and flowed downward to her female core. She throbbed with longing and breathed out moans of pure ecstasy. Transferring his attention to her other breast, he reached his hand down and found her throbbing core. Feeling him at her entrance, she grabbed his hand and impaled herself on two of his fingers.Because of him, she was beyond caring that this was all about her. She was not aware of anything except the fire burning inside her. Holding his hand in place she used him to satisfy herself, pushing his fingers in and out of repeatedly, totally lost in the sensation.

Letting her control him was at first unsettling, but as he watched her give into the fury of her passion he found himself caught up in that same passion. The moan that escaped Elise was like nothing he had heard from her yet. It came from her very soul. Her knees began to buckle, but he caught her and stood up. She clung to him, saying his name over and over and over. As her breathing returned to normal she became aware that they were still in the shower. The water was still hot and she had an extreme feeling of languor that encompassed her entire body. It felt like John was having to hold her up.

Slowly the memory of what she had just done came back to her. She almost didn't recognize the woman she became when she was with John. He brought out feelings and sensations she'd never experienced before. The brazenness of sometimes leading the seduction was totally foreign to her. It was almost like he had tapped an unknown part of her and brought it to full bloom and she liked it.

Also returning with the memory was that even though she was satisfied, he was not. Her eyes flew open and she leaned away from him. "John, I'm so sorry...I never...I didn't...we didn't...I'm so sorry!" She said in a rush.

"It's ok Elise, I'm fine. I'm better than fine. You have no idea how much I enjoy watching you. Watching you enjoy what I am doing to you, for you. I was right there with you up to the very moment. You have nothing to be sorry for." He smiled. "But you can make it up to me next time. Right now we need to get dressed, check on Harold and I need to speak to Carter."

As they were getting dressed, Elise wondered if she could convince John to let her stay with him again tonight. Root was still out there and knew who John was. It wasn't much of a stretch to think that she might come after him in an attempt to get Harold to tell her whatever she wanted, Elise rationalized. 'Oh who am I kidding? I also want to spend the night making love with John again!' She admitted ruefully. She turned to John…

John shrugged a white shirt over his shoulders and pulled on a pair of black dress pants as he contemplated how to ask Elise if she would stay with him again tonight. He didn't want her to think that he only wanted sex from her, not that making love with her hadn't shot to the top on his list of favorite things to do. He also wanted some time to get to know her better. He developed a plan in his mind for how he could do both and decided that before he got too far, he'd better ask Elise if she'd stay with him tonight, hell for several nights if he could manage it. He didn't see himself being satisfied with an on and off thing. He turned to ask Elise…

"John, could I…."

"Elise, would you…."

Both of them started at the same time and stopped, waiting to see what the other was about to say.

"I'm sorry, Ladies first." John told her with a grin.

Elise blushed a little at what she was about to ask, "John, do you think it would be alright if I stayed with you again tonight?" His answering smile nearly blinded her.

"I was just about to ask you if you would. I want to spend some more time getting to know you and….my bed would feel empty without you in it."

Elise beamed at him and almost threw herself into his arms. At the last second, she remembered his arm and stopped alarmed that she almost might have re-injured him. He saw the look of anxiety and saw her stop in front of him despite the fact that he had his arms open and waiting for her.

"Elise? What's wrong?"

"I almost forgot about your arm John. I could have hurt you!" She said with a great deal of concern in her voice as she chastised herself.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Elise I'm fine. Your expert doctoring has worked wonders. Especially your bedside manner." He smirked down at her.

Elise just rolled her eyes at him and then broke into a grin. "Well, I don't think you are FULLY healed yet. Perhaps I can manage some more 'doctoring' later."

"Mmm. I look forward to it." He said just before he captured her mouth with his. Quicker than either of them anticipated, passion flared between them and he reluctantly pulled away. "You need to check on Harold and I need to go see Carter."

"Yes, I know. I just can't seem to…." Her voice trailed off.

"Me neither." He said gulping in air. He grabbed her hand and they walked out the door. Once they were down on the street, John caressed her face. "I'd kiss you good bye but I'm not sure I'd have the fortitude to stop again. Take care of yourself, sweetheart and tell Harold and Zoe I'll be by tomorrow." He leaned over and placed a key in her hand, closing her fingers over it and whispering in her ear. "I'll see you later."

Elise shivered as his breath brushed against her skin. All she could do was nod and then watch as John walked away. Looking down at the key in her hand, she felt tears prick her eyes. By giving her the key to his place, he had given her the one thing that was the hardest for him to give, his trust. She vowed to herself that she would give him equal measure. She could do no less for him.

John texted Carter and asked if she could meet with him for a few minutes. She replied that she'd meet him in an hour at the Lyric. That left him just enough time to run a quick errand.

He arrived on time and saw Carter sitting at the counter sipping a cup of coffee.

"How are you feeling?" She acknowledged him as he approached.

He flexed his arm and smiled. "Elise did a good job fixing it. I should be back to full strength in a few days."

"Yeah, she was very attentive while you were down for the count. How did she get mixed up with you?"

"Long story and I don't have time to tell it today. But I'm sure you'll see her again and you can ask her."

Carter gave him a sharp look. "So, it's like that is it? I won't lecture you about being careful. That one can take care of herself."

"Well, that's what I wanted to meet with you about. I wanted to say thank you. First for coming to her aid when she called you for help when I was hurt and second for helping to recover Harold with her. Both of them are….important to me. I appreciate that you had all our backs. I got you a small token of thanks." He passed her over an envelope.

Carter opened it and her eyes widened. "Season tickets for basketball at the Garden? Taylor will flip!" She paused. "You didn't have to do that. You already gave me the best gift ever when you saved Taylor. I'll always be in your debt for that." She took a deep breath, trying not to remember the terror she felt when Elias had abducted her son. "Actually, I have some news for you. I've been asked to take a special assignment with the FBI. After that disaster where they lost you and were shown that HR had infiltrated their task force all in the same night, Donnelly said he'd trust no one in the NYPD except me."

Reese laughed out loud.

"Yeah, the irony of it isn't lost on me either." She chuckled.

"How is Fusco?" He asked.

"Cranky, of course. Especially as he has a wound that he has to hide rather than get the accolades for getting shot in the line of duty...so he's really, cranky actually."

"Give him these for me then and maybe he'll brighten up to his normal cheery self." Reese smirked. When Carter raised her eyebrow, he explained, "Season tickets for Rangers games." He stood up to go and said, "I'll be in touch and good luck at your new job." His attention was already turning to some things he needed to pick up for tonight. He had something special in mind for Elise.

********************************************************************************************

Elise walked into the library and her eyes immediately went to the bed where Harold was sleeping. She smiled when she noticed the color was back in his face and God bless him, he had a laptop next to him on the bed and a stick resting on the keyboard. Zoe came up to her and Elise raised an eyebrow at her and nodded towards Harold.

"He's been trying and trying to use the laptop all morning. Poor thing is so frustrated that he can't use his fingers. Keeps mumbling to himself about being out of the loop."

"Well at least he looks better today."

"Yes. He ate well and hasn't given me any trouble about taking the pain pills. Speaking of looking better, you look like the cat that ate the cream today. What gives?" Zoe asked, looking intently at her face. "And your hair is down, not under that cap!" She seemed genuinely shocked.

Elise blushed and said, "John seems to prefer it that way, so I thought I'd humor him." She watched for Zoe's reaction, hoping that her friend would be alright with the idea that she and John were…. 'what were they anyway? Sleeping together? Yes. Dating? She hoped so. In love? Hmm. She realized that she WAS in love with him but what about him with her? He'd never said so. Then again she hadn't either. Well, she'd have to rectify that.' It was suddenly very important to her that he know how she felt about him.

Zoe watched various emotions flash across Elise's face and she was astounded at the change in her friend. The once closed off woman had a glow about her now. She seemed so content… that's what it was, she was content and happy. Then Elise turned to look at her and Zoe saw the worried look she had on her face.

"Oh Elise, I'm very happy for you and John. Don't worry about me. I can see that he makes you happy and that's what's important. You have become very dear to me and I want what's best for you….obviously, John is what's best for you. Look at you! You're positively radiant this morning! Had a good night sleep did we?" Zoe teased her, trying to show Elise that she was ok with the fact that John had chosen Elise over her. Anyone with half a brain could see that the two were made for each other.

Elise once again blushed and then tried to give a little back, elated that Zoe was ok with her and John being together. "You got part of that correct. I did have a good night and a good morning and a good shower."

Zoe laughed hard and then slapped her hand over her mouth when Harold rolled over in bed. Elise quickly darted to his side and caught the laptop before it fell on the floor. Zoe nodded her head to the other room and they quietly left Harold to his nap.

As soon as they were in the other room, they both burst out laughing. Elise was amazed at how much more relaxed she felt in her relationship with Zoe. They talked girl talk and joked for the better part of an hour. 'I've really been missing out on things in my relationships with people.' She realized. 'I'm going to have to make a better effort with at least John, Zoe and Harold to start. Beginning now….'

"Zoe, I just wanted to say thank you for everything. When you offered me a job as a partner….. it's been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I don't know where I'd be right now if we hadn't teamed up, certainly not here with two of the best friends I could have and a wonderful man to boot."

Zoe's jaw practically hit the floor. She couldn't believe she was hearing this from Elise! Her relationship with John must be even deeper than Elise herself suspects if it's affecting her so much in so little time! "Um, you're welcome Elise. I'm very glad that you are happy with our arrangement and I'm even happier to call you a friend." Both women embraced, glad to have each other to rely on.

"Speaking of arrangements, Harold and I have been talking. What would you say to working with him and John for a few weeks while the two of them get back on their feet?"

Elise grinned. "You have to ask? Of course I'm fine with that. Poor Harold will be a bit longer in recovering than John has been." Zoe gave her a sideways look and they both burst out laughing again.

"Is that Elise I hear?" Harold's voice came from the other room.

"Yes Harold, it's me." Elise danced up to Harold's bed and gave him a careful hug. "John said to tell you he'd be by tomorrow. How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing well and I understand I have you to thank for that." Harold reached out his hand and gently laid it on Elise's arm. "Thank you my dear; for coming after me. I'm honored to know you and amonce more in your debt."

Elise blushed, darn she was doing that a lot these days, and tears sprang to her eyes. "Harold, you mean the world to me and the thought of you in the hands of that woman bothers me more than you know!" They both paused as their own memories of what had happened flooded their minds.  
Elise was the first to shake off the feeling. "So Harold…I see you've resorted to the hunt and peck method of typing. We have to get you out of the Stone Age here before John sees this. You KNOW he'll have some kind of snappy remark for you." Elise winked at him and they both started laughing.

Elise spent several hours with Harold, trying to keep his spirits up and enjoying plotting a few surprises for John. 'To keep him on his toes, of course.' Harold had said. Neither one of them bought it for a second but they had fun passing the time and poking fun at John and some of his antics. Eventually, Harold began to show signs of fatigue and Elise took her cue and left the room so he could sleep. An hour later, Zoe came back to the library looking refreshed and more awake.

"Do you think you could stay with Harold one more night Zoe?" Elise asked. "John asked me to stay with him again tonight. I promise I'll come and relieve you tomorrow."

Zoe just smiled and said, "Elise, I already figured you'd want to spend the night with Mr. Hotness." Elise just grinned.

"Thanks Zoe, I owe you one." Elise hugged her and left. She wanted to pick up a few things from her apartment before going over to John's.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Walking into her apartment, Elise dropped her bag by the door and laid her keys on the table in the hall. Finding the TV remote, she turned on the TV just to have some noise. In the kitchen she checked the refrigerator and grabbed a Coke. Leaning against the counter she popped the top and took a long swallow.

Looking around she noticed for the first time how cold and austere her apartment was. Stainless steel appliances - easy to clean, pots and pans out of sight, one dish in the drain board with one glass. Looking through the doorway back into the living room, there was only a couch, a table and a TV with stand visible. Walking towards door she could see her stereo on the bookcase with her books, laptop on the coffee table.

And that was all. There was nothing of HER in this apartment. No pictures on the walls, a stereo but no CDs, no bric-a-brac. It was as if no one lived here. She slept here, ate here on occasion...but that was all. And that had seemed enough until John. Her time with him showed her how empty her life had been. Her job with Zoe met her financial needs. The apartment met the barest of needs for shelter...but she had no life ...except her job. She went nowhere, had no friends, no hobbies, unless going to the gun range and working out at the tai-kwon do gym, counted as hobbies. She seldom spoke to anybody at those places. Even her sparing partners were wary of her; she was very fast with her hands and feet. She hit hard and with purpose, all the time. More often than not she worked out with the bag...less talking.

Walking into the living room she sat down on the couch. Putting her Coke on the table and turning on her laptop, she pulled off her boots. She checked her email and found she had four, all from Zoe, all work related. No friends sending her jokes or family sending chatty emails..,just work. Shutting the laptop, she grabbed the remote, turned off the TV and leaned back on the couch. What was it about John Reese that made her look at everything differently? She'd lived here for two, almost three years, never had a problem, never felt the need for company. She was happy in her aloneness but now she questioned her whole existence!

Swallowing the last drop of Coke she crushed the can with her hand. 'Damn it! I don't like having someone else affect my life! I was fine! I had control of ME, I relied on ME, I was responsible for ME! What changed? Why isn't that enough anymore?' Slamming the crushed can down on the table Elise got up and started pacing, back and forth from her kitchen to the living room and back again.

'I didn't need anybody! People lie! People cheat! People are undependable! If there's just YOU and things foul up...you know who's to blame...YOU! I took care of myself! I beat just about anybody's ASS I wanted to! I could walk away from anyone or anything, anytime I wanted. I didn't owe anybody anything! I didn't NEED anybody!' She almost yelled. Standing there with fists clenched and breathing hard, she let out a big sigh. 'What happened? What changed? Why did it change?'

Turning back to the couch she plopped down and buried her face in her hands, elbows on her knees. 'John...John happened.' Uncovering her eyes and leaning her chin on her hands she looked around her apartment. 'It's like he's opened my eyes all the way. I was only half seeing my life….because I was only half living it!' Shaking her head she finally gave into the feelings she'd been fighting all day. She was a different person when she was with John. Totally and completely different. No subterfuge, no 'mask', no pretending, no keeping everyone at arms' length. She'd never been a dependent person but she found herself wanting to lean on him, be comforted by him. He seemed to meet her needs without having to ask. He knew them intuitively and he met those needs but never made her feel less than his equal.

Smiling to herself she felt the insane urge to run out the door and run back to the loft as fast as possible. She had been away from John for too long! Going to her bedroom she grabbed a duffle bag and threw in some under clothes and some jeans and t-shirts and another jacket. In the bathroom she grabbed her own toiletries and stuffed them down into the duffle bag. She was suddenly so eager to be gone she couldn't pack fast enough. Grabbing her weapons bag by the door where she'd dropped it, she turned around and looked at her apartment. 'I don't ever want to come back here to this again, at least not alone!' Slamming the door behind her, she almost trotted down the hall on her way back to John.

John opened the door to the loft with great difficulty. His arms were loaded down with the items he'd purchased on the way home. Placing the grocery bags on the counter in the kitchen, he put the bag of ice in the sink. He looked around and was happy to find the ice chest that he remembered seeing. One of the grocery bags was filled with two six packs of beer. Heineken for him and Mich Ultra for Elise. He smiled to himself thinking, 'You gotta love a woman who loves her beer.' He iced down the beer in the cooler and moved it to the side.

Grabbing the sheets off the bed and the towels from the bathroom he threw them in the washing machine and turned it on. His military background did not allow him the luxury of an untidy living space. He finished cleaning the kitchen area and the bathroom and took a break while waiting for the laundry to finish. Grabbing a cold beer he walked over to the wall of windows and sat down in the one he and Elise had 'enjoyed' the night before. Looking out on the city he was once again amazed at the people he could see from his vantage point, going about their day to day activities. Each one had their own story, their own pain and happiness. Each one was content to live in their own little world.

His world however, had been flipped on its axis since that night on a NYC street when Elise announced her presence with the screech of tires and the smell of gunfire and burning rubber. He had been knocked off balance by the sheer force of her personality and he wasn't quite sure he was back on level ground yet. After much pushing and shoving between them, they seemed to have found an equilibrium.

John felt he had been in a good place before she exploded into his life. He had a job that for once felt like it was good and fit him perfectly. He was doing what needed to be done, when it needed to be done, by any means. The 'rightness' of what he and Harold had begun resonated deeply within him. He could give himself completely to his job. No outside distractions...just the job and his growing respect and friendship with Harold...that was all he needed.

And then, somehow this spitfire had wormed her way into his thoughts and his dreams. He didn't want to have anyone he'd have to be responsible for, watch over, worry about! His job gave him that with the numbers the Machine kicked out. But then he'd find himself thinking about Elise, wondering what case she was working on, was she safe, did she have backup, what if her gun jammed, what if the client was too big for her to handle? Those thoughts made him angry. He liked being in control and he was now he was having no luck at all controlling his thoughts and he was fighting it tooth and nail. 'I don't need her around. I work better alone. I can only depend on myself. She needs to stay away or I need to stay away from her!' He frowned, leaning his head against the window. But that thought gave him pause. He knew he would never be able to stay away from her. He needed her, needed her strength, her heart, her humor, her smile, he NEEDED her in his life. This last thought made him smile. 'Never thought I'd need anyone ever again! Apparently I was wrong.'

Draining the beer he stood up and made his way to the washing machine to move the sheets and towels to the dryer. Reaching for his phone he called Elise, needing to hear her voice...

Using the key that John had given her, Elise put it into the keyhole but before she could turn it, John opened the door. Her breath caught in her throat just looking at him. So tall and those blue eyes that pulled her in and held her captive were sparkling to match his beautiful smile. She found herself returning that smile and she felt tingly all over.

Hearing Elise's key in the door, John hung up the phone and leapt to the door and opened it before she could turn the key. Standing there with a duffle bag almost as big as she was hanging over one shoulder and the other arm holding her weapons bag, John gave her a huge smile. "I never thought I'd be glad to see someone show up at my door with a bag full of guns, but I'm glad you're here." He reached for the weapons bag to take it from her but quickly remembered what happened last time he tried that, and changed direction, slipping the duffle bag off her shoulder and telling her to come in.

Walking in, Elise was surprised how clean and neat everything was. When she'd left this morning there was evidence of their...activities...all over the loft. But now the bed was made with fresh linens. The towels that had been on the floor by the windows were gone, and there was actually food in the kitchen. But the most surprising change was a small bouquet of flowers on the kitchen table, a multitude of colors overflowing the small vase holding them. It was so unexpected she stopped short to stare. Looking from the bouquet, to John and back again she finally smiled and shook her head slightly. 'This is a different John Reese that I've never met before!'

John walked over to the armoire and placed the duffle bag down beside it, saying, "You can put your clothes in here if you want, I moved out the 'safe house' clothes so there's room now for your clothes". Opening the door he gestured to the empty space and the drawers at the bottom. Surprised beyond belief at this gesture and what it signified, Elise unpacked her duffle bag, carefully folding her now very wrinkled clothes. Being in such a rush to get back over to the loft she hadn't packed very neatly. Taking her tooth brush and other items to the bathroom, she was pleasantly surprised to see the bathroom also back up to spic-n-span regulation.

Meanwhile, John was on the phone placing an order. He'd just hung up when Elise came up behind him. Tentatively reaching her arms around his waist from the back, she leaned her cheek against him and sighed deeply. It felt so good to be back here with John. Turning around within the circle of her arms, John faced Elise. Taking both his hands, he cupped her face, lifting her chin until he could stare into her dark blue eyes. Taking his thumb, he traced her lips one at a time. Moving his hands from her face to her hair, he buried them in its dark depths and tilted her face back a little more so he could bend down to capture her lips for a brief kiss.

The electricity that light kiss generated was a physical thing, their bodies responded with no effort...like matching like. Tightening her arms around his waist, Elise stood on tiptoe trying to catch his mouth with hers. As the kiss deepened they were both transported to another place. Moving his hands once again, John reached down and picked Elise up and set her down on one of the kitchen stools. Moving her knees apart he stepped in as close as he could. He could feel her heat against his rigid shaft as he pressed against the apex of her thighs. Wrapping her legs around him, she pulled him even closer. Breaking the kiss, John's lips slowly traveled down her neck to the hollow of her shoulder, right above the neckline of the t-shirt.

Groaning in frustration he began to pull on the bottom of her t-shirt, wanting it out of the way. Panting slightly, Elise leaned back and pulled the t-shirt off and dropped it to the floor. John almost attacked that hollow spot again, sending shivers dancing all over Elise. Reaching behind her, he unsnapped her bra and pulled it from her. Released from their confines, her breasts drew his eyes, her nipples already demanding attention. With his left hand still buried in her hair, he used his right hand to travel down her neck to her shoulder and then to her breasts. Capturing one in his hand, he again marveled at their size for such a small woman. Massaging her breast and tweaking her nipple he was bringing Elise to a point of no return and doing the same to himself. Elise's small hands found his hardness and began to firmly rub and stroke him through his pants. Gasping at the pressure his manhood was under, Elise took the hint and unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his pants and pulled down his zipper. Thank God for commando, thought Elise!

At that moment the doorbell rang. Panting with desire Elise and John pulled apart and stared at the door, almost too far gone into the realm of passion to understand what that noise was. It rang again and was followed by a knock.

"Hello! Hello? Is anybody there? I've got the pizza you ordered..." came a disembodied voice from the other side of the door. Elise and John looked back at each other...then John remembered.

"Damn, I forgot I ordered pizza! This...". He gestured down to himself, "was not supposed to happen...at least not until later tonight." Growled John. Stepping back he zipped up his pants, not an easy task considering the state he was in. Reaching down he picked up Elise's bra and t-shirt and handed them to her. Slipping just the t-shirt on, Elise balled up her bra and threw it on the bed.

Hopping off the stool Elise faced John and asked "Pizza? You ordered pizza?"

Standing there, with her hair mussed, her lips swollen and red from being thoroughly kissed and her nipples poking through her t-shirt, John was ready to tell the pizza guy to fuck off. But he had special plans for them tonight so he backed himself down from the precipice. "Yes I did, hope you like pepperoni." He asked while heading toward the door.

Patting his back pockets for his wallet, John called out, "Hold on...let me get your money!" Realizing he didn't have his wallet or his gun, he turned around to see Elise smiling at him with a bemused look on her face. "What?" asked John while his eyes scanned for his wallet. He picked up his gun from the countertop as well. Even though he knew he'd ordered the pizza, he would never consider answering the door without gun at hand.

"You've got a nice ass John Reese…looks damn good in those jeans. Can't see it when you're wearing your 'work clothes', that suit tends to cover a number of your 'ASSets' she said with a giggle.

Smiling at Elise, he shot back at her, "Well I wish you'd wear your hair out of that damn cap more often. I want to run my fingers through it every time I'm privileged to see it." Finding the cash for the pizza he walked back to the door. Not wanting to share Elise with anybody at this time, he opened the door only wide enough to take the box of pizza. Blocking the delivery guy's view, he grabbed the pizza and shoved a wad of money into his hands and shut the door. The delivery guy saw just enough of Elise to understand this guy's hurry to shut the door. 'DAMN...wonder what I interrupted?' Looking down he noticed he'd been paid twice what the cost of the pizza was, pocketing the money he turned back toward the elevator thinking 'lucky bastard'.

Handing Elise the box of pizza, John walked to the other side of the kitchen and grabbed the ice chest. Hearing the elevator chime he knew the delivery guy had left. "Follow me." He said to Elise as he opened the door to the hallway.

"Anywhere, anytime soldier!" Laughed Elise. "As long as I get this view!"

At the end of the hallway there was a door. Pulling out a set of keys, John found the right one and unlocked the door. Waiting for Elise to catch up, he told her, "Let me go first, can you shut the door? I don't want anybody following us up here. I've got the only key. Well, I think I have the only key, Harold may have a copy since he gave me THIS key."

Following John up the stairs, Elise wondered where they were going. She thought John's loft was on the top floor. At the top of the stairs John used the same key to open another door on the roof. The late afternoon sun shown down on the roof. Stepping out the door Elise was amazed. The panoramic view of the City was breathtaking. They weren't the highest building by far, but the view was...magnificent! Walking to the closest edge, Elise leaned against the wall and looked down. She could easily see people walking on the sidewalk or sitting in the park. The noise from the traffic could barely be heard. It was actually rather peaceful up here.

John came up behind her and took the pizza box and left her standing there taking in the view. Slowly walking the perimeter she was amazed at how different each direction looked. It was like looking at a different TV station on each side. One side was a business district with skyscraper buildings, another side was apartment buildings, a third side had the park and the fourth side was a mixture. The location of the loft allowed for viewing a perfect juncture of life styles. Turning to look for, John she found him near one of the sides crouched down over a...blanket? Walking over to see what was going on, Elise began to smile and her smile got bigger with every step she took. A blanket was spread out to provide a seating area, the pizza box was in the middle and the ice chest John had brought up stairs was off to the side. A large bouquet of flowers surrounded a candelabra situated in the center of the blanket. John was lighting the candles as she approached.

"What is this, a picnic on a roof top?" Elise asked as she came to stand beside the blanket.

Looking up from the candelabra John nodded and said, "I thought we could have dinner up here. I've got beer for you and pizza goes good with beer, so here we are. What do you think?"

Kneeling down beside John she gave him a brief hug and opened the ice chest. Pleasantly surprised that he remembered her beer of choice, she grabbed one for herself and one for him. Opening the beers she handed one to John. Tapping the beers together in a toast they both took long swallows of the ice cold beer. "This is a nice dinner to come back to. Do you do this every night?" asked Elise, watching John with a smile on her face.

"No, only when I'm trying to impress a girl. Is it working?" He grinned back at her.

"Better than you'll ever know" she replied.

Sitting cross-legged Indian style, they took their time eating pizza and drinking beer. Sitting facing each other with their knees touching, they talked about many things and laughed about lots of things. Their conversation was peppered with gasps and rather loud "Oh no!" or "You did not!" and an occasional "Oh my God!". They were compressing months of 'getting to know you' into a few hours of time. Before either of them knew it, they had finished the pizza and drank most of the beer. Both were feeling free and loose. It had been such a release to be able to talk about certain parts of their lives that they had kept closed away from other people. But each knew the other would not judge them and would be able to accept them as they were. After a pause they both stared into each other eyes, feeling a closeness, a connection that they had never felt for another person before…..to say so much with no words was a powerful moment for each of them. Each a lost soul reaching out to another and finding comfort, understanding and acceptance. It was a profound moment and neither wanted to break the spell.

At that moment John's cell phone rang. Cursing loudly John looked at the phone and saw Harold's number displayed. Showing the number to Elise, and watched her reaction...which was instantaneous...a nod. Smiling he answered "Yes Harold?" And waited for him to speak. Nodding his head, he kept his eyes on Elise, who was cleaning up the remnants from dinner, leaving the blanket open and inviting.

While John and Harold spoke about the possibility of a case coming up, Elise stretched out on the blanket. On her back she watched as the stars became more and more visible as the sun went down. She was able to pick out the Big Dipper and Orion's belt but they were low on the horizon as spring was far along. Puzzling over some of the other constellations, she wasn't aware when John had finished talking to Harold until he sat down on the blanket next to her.

"How's he doing?" Elise asked. Knowing that if there was something wrong, John would have handed her the phone.

"Fine, he was he was able to type some today but the typos from his still swollen fingers 'was going to drive him to drink' laughed John. Laughing with John she knew that being unable to type was more painful for Harold than the healing of his dislocated fingers.

John turned the ringer off on his phone and put it to the side. He moved around until he was stretched out beside Elise on his back looking at the stars. He began pointing out different things in the night sky, Russian satellites following a north/south path while the US satellites flew in an east/west path. Their blinking lights were easy to spot among the unblinking stars. Their conversation became very topical, steering away from any more personal revelations. As the moon rose, everything became starkly black and white. Rising up on one elbow, John took in the beauty of the woman next to him. Her features were classically beautiful, a small (but stubborn) chin, generous lips, and a slightly up turned nose were outlined in moonlight. Her eyes were so dark they seemed black. Her dark hair fanned out beneath her. With her head cradled in arms, her breasts strained against her t-shirt. The coolness of the night air was already working its magic, he noted, causing her nipples to stand at attention.

Using his free hand, he picked up a lock of hair and let it fall through his fingers. He absolutely loved her hair. It was dark, thick and wavy and it felt so good to rub it between his fingers. Wrapping a lock around his finger, he leaned over and kissed it, then carefully put it behind her ear. The sharp intake of breath from Elise was his reward. Turning her head she smiled at him. It was a smile meant only for him and just like they said in story books, her heart was in her eyes. Everything she was feeling for him was there, open for him to see. Placing a hand behind her head, he leaned low to kiss those same lips that promised so much.

Her arms reached out and pulled him close, deepening the kiss. Pulling him off his elbow until he was almost on top of her, she turned into his body and pulled him even closer. The sweetness of the kiss slowly changed into a more passionate one. He sucked gently on her bottom lip, teasing it with his teeth. Pulling back for a moment he gazed at her in wonderment. How this woman could elicit such strong feelings in him was still a mystery. But a mystery he would love to solve over a very, very long time.

Missing his mouth on hers, Elise pulled his head back down for another deep kiss. This time she was the aggressor. Using her tongue she parted his lips and began the assault of his senses. She nipped and sucked his lips and then his tongue. She ran her tongue all over this mouth, darting in and out and in and out in an unmistakable rhythm, all the while slowly moving her hips in time with the thrusts of her tongue. She pulled back briefly and looked at John closely. His eyes were half closed and his breath was coming in gasps. Stretching her neck up and to the side, she exposed her neck as a welcome enticement to him. Needing no further instructions or invitation, John kissed her once more and began a slow move down her jaw line to her neck.

With every nibble on her neck, Elise felt wave after wave of tingling flowing through her body. Her hips took on a life of their own and ground themselves into John's. In answer to the pressure of her hips, his hips pushed back with his already hard manhood. Moving one of her hands down John's body, Elise began to rub his shaft in the same rhythm that their hips were moving.

Encountering the t-shirt neckline again, John pulled back until he was sitting up. Elise let out a distressed moan, feeling his weight being removed from her. Pulling her to a sitting position, he reached for the bottom of the t-shirt and pulled it quickly over her head. Moonlight gleamed on her dark hair as it fell to her shoulders. Her breasts were bathed in the light and showed their perfection, the shadows only adding to the beauty of the moment.

Looking at John, Elise knew what she wanted and knew she wanted it now. Lying back down, she pulled him over her once again. Giving him a quick kiss she once again stretched her neck guiding his mouth to the place he'd left off, the hollow between her neck and shoulder. Slowly working his way to her breast he took his time getting to her nipple. Kneading both breasts with his hands, his mouth worked its magic...kissing, nibbling and licking everywhere but her taut nipple. Pushed almost beyond endurance Elise thought she was going to go mad if he didn't just DO IT. Feeling her tense beneath his hands, feeling the more forceful moment of her hips, he finally relented and licked one nipple and then the other, leaving them wet and feeling cold from a slight breeze. Still not getting the release she craved Elise gasped out, "John...please, please".

Hovering above her nipple John watched Elise's face. Her eyes were half closed, her mouth was open and her tongue darted in and out rubbing on her bottom lip. Watching her closely he lowered his mouth to one nipple and began to suckle. Elise's hips lifted off the blanket and her hands held his head to her breast as she came in wave after wave. A low moan escaped her mouth as she slowly drifted down from the heights he had taken her. Transferring his mouth to her other nipple, he used his hand to keep the fully aroused one ...alert. Again he lowered his mouth to her nipple and began to suckle as Elise shook her head from side to side, gasping for air. Her hips continued their wanton rhythm and once again she was at his mercy as the waves of pleasure swamped her.

Raising his head he watched her slowly come back to herself, watched as she took a deep breath and smiled. Opening her eyes she looked at him and whispered, "Mmmmm...that was ever so very nice". Leaning back on one elbow he continued to knead and stroke her breasts and play with her nipples. As his hand moved down her stomach he felt the waist of her jeans. Expertly unbuttoning them and unzipping them, he began to try and pull them off. Elise raised her hips helping him and kicked the jeans off with one leg. John looked down at what he had uncovered and smiled. Looking back up at her, he raised one eyebrow and said. "No panties? Hm, you are a wanton one!"

Elise laughed and said, "Well, I was hoping things might go in this direction so I just thought I should be ready." Reaching over, Elise began to unbutton John's shirt as fast as she could. Thank goodness there weren't too many to undo. Next she attacked his belt and jeans button. Pushing her hands away, John stood up. Pulling off his shirt he dropped it to the ground. Unbuckling the belt, unbuttoning the jeans, he pulled the zipper down and yanked his jeans off. Standing there in the moonlight he was a striking vision. Wide shoulders, defined chest with a light covering of chest hair, long arms, a pronounced happy trail leading to his erect penis. He was as obviously as ready for her as she was for him.

Looking down at Elise, he was struck by the wanton beauty of her. One leg was raised up slightly over the other, she was turned a little to one side, her breasts were perfect in their aroused state and her long hair wavy spilled around her head and shoulders. She tilted her head to one side, slowly smiled at him. The moonlight allowed him to see her tongue snake its way out of her mouth and slowly wet her lips, first the top one then the bottom one, all the while slowly undulating her hips. His reaction was immediate and very noticeable.

Raising her arms up to him she softly called to him, "Come to me John."

Slowly sinking to his knees he stretched out in front of her as her arms welcomed him and wrapped around his neck. Kissing her slowly and thoroughly he moved over her. Keeping his weight on his elbows he moved between her legs which eagerly parted for him. Feeling her hair beneath his hands he grabbed handfuls and buried his face in her neck. Her hands slowly moved down from his neck to his shoulders, lightly dancing across until she got to his arms. Pulling her arms under his she reached around and hugged his chest. She could feel the tip of his penis barely touching her entrance. Again, using her hips she teased the tip with motions that touched and moved away and touched again. Hearing him gasp in her ear she knew she was getting the desired reaction.

Relaxing his grip on her hair, he moved his arms underneath her shoulders, and looped his hands over the top of them. Holding her still with his hands he firmly pushed her down as he moved his hips upward. His hard shaft slowly entered her warm, welcoming sheath. Her legs lifted to increase the angle of her impalement and she hooked her ankles together to hold on because she felt this was going to be a wild ride.

Starting slowly with one long, slow slide inwards to the hilt John stopped and looked down at Elise. She was lying there with her head thrown back, her lips parted and her breath coming in small gasps. Her arms were wrapped around his chest and her legs around his hips.

Using her legs she pulled herself up to him and took him even deeper. Clenching him tightly with the walls of her sex she was poised to begin the dance. Opening her eyes to look at him above her, she saw reflected in his eyes the desire she felt in her own.

Leaning down John took one more kiss and began to move. Slow, sure strokes, almost all the way out and then all the way in. Being a well-endowed man that stroke was long and satisfying for both of them. Slowly he began to pump faster, each stroke pure ecstasy for both of them. Elise's fingers began to dig into his back as her inner walls clasped him tighter and tighter. Holding her still with his hands John began to stroke harder and faster. Holding on tight with her legs, Elise met him stroke for stroke. The harder he pushed into her the harder she pushed back. The power of each thrust was bringing them both closer to the point of no return.

"Love me, John...Love me!" Gasped Elise as she soared higher and higher. John's grip on her shoulders was fierce as he held her in place and pounded into her faster and faster. Finally they reached the moment they had striven for...John gasped out, "Elise, Elise...I love you, Elise." and erupted inside of her. Hearing his words took Elise over the edge, their love for each other had been consummated.

Burying his face again in her hair, he still kept his weight on his arms but his arms were shaking from the physical explosion they had just shared. He could feel Elise's body still pulsating around him, wringing every last drop out of him. Slowly Elise unlocked her ankles and let her legs slide down the sides of his hips until they touched the blanket. Her arms were still wrapped securely around his chest. He could feel her heart beat pounding almost as hard as his own. As their breathing returned to normal, he slowly slid out of Elise and moved over to one side. Pulling her up close under his arm he hugged her tightly. Snuggling up under his chin she stretched her arm out and hugged him back and sighed. John reached out and found the edge of the blanket and pulled it to cover them

Soon the evening's activities caught up with them and they both fell asleep on the blanket, on the roof…naked except for their arms wrapped around each other.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The warmth of the rising sun grew by degrees, slowly bringing Elise out of her beautiful dream. The arm holding her close, the chin resting on the top of her head, the slight snoring she could hear…all blended perfectly with her dream. As the light from the sun more directly shone on her face she finally roused herself enough to open her eyes but just a crack because it was so bright. Her right arm was curled up next to her but her left arm was stretched out across ...a chest? Moving her head ever so slightly, she realized her dream was a reality. She had been sleeping in John Reese's arms all night. She began glancing around and took in where they were, memories of the night's ravishment, both hers AND his flooded back, making her blush madly but smile at the same time.

Snuggling closer to John and hugging him tighter, she was rewarded with a hug from his left arm that took her breath away in its fierceness. A low rumble in his chest alerted her that he was awake and speaking to her.

"Morning Ms. Tate, hope you slept well." He murmured as his right hand reached up to smooth her hair out of her face. As was his want, he ran his fingers through her hair and buried his hand deep in its silky darkness. Feeling his hand in her hair gave her a delicious shiver from her head to her toes and a tingle deep within her body. Wiggling her legs until they were intertwined with his, she gave a deep, contented sigh.

"Yes Mr. Reese, I believe I did. Thank you for asking." She said with a smile and a smirk. She could 'feel' his answering smile above her head.

Pulling away enough to raise herself on one elbow, she found herself looking at the face of a John Reese she'd never met, one that was extremely relaxed and seemed carefree. She hadn't believed it was possible but here he was. She hoped she was responsible for the smile of satisfaction she saw on his face.

"John, I need to tell you something." Whispered Elise. Pausing, John tried to speak but she placed her finger against his lips and shushed him. "I need to tell you this while I still have the nerve." Licking her lips she took a deep breath and continued. "You have become such an important part of my life. I thought I was happy before I met you. I thought I didn't need anything or anybody. I had a job and only relied on myself. But, I was not really living. I was simply existing which is not the same thing." Placing her hand on the side of his face and titling his head to look at her, she continued. "But you made me FEEL again. You made me feel anger, rage, happiness, worry, irritation and….love. Love was something I thought was out of my reach, that I'd missed that chance years ago and it would never come my way again. But you showed me I was wrong. I found I did have the capacity to care and to care strongly...to love."

Gently rubbing her thumb over his bottom lip, she leaned over and softly kissed him. Pulling back she looked into his eyes. The eyes that made her heart beat faster whenever he looked at her. Eyes that burned with desire to match hers. Eyes that no longer held any secrets from her.

"I love you John Reese, I love you with my heart and soul which are both yours to take."

Her words hung in the air for a moment. The longer John took to answer, the more concerned Elise became, worried that she had misread him and made a fool of herself. A slight frown appeared between her eyes as she started to pull away but John's arm prevented her from moving. Using his other hand, he brushed her hair back behind her shoulder and rested his hand behind her neck. He gently lowered her onto her back until he was above her. He cupped her head and leaned down and kissed her, almost reverently, never taking his eyes off of hers, kissing her with eyes wide open. Pulling back he brushed her cheek with the knuckles of his right hand, catching the tears that suddenly appeared. Bending over her, he kissed the trail of her tears, raining light kisses all over her face until he could feel her smile. Once again he pulled back and looked into the eyes that he had fallen into months ago and realized he never wanted to be out of their thrall.

"Elise, know this…you have given me more than I will ever be able to give you. You saved my life in more ways than one. I was on my way 'back' with Harold's help but there was a part of me that he couldn't heal. But you could and you did. You've made me whole again. I no longer see everything in black and white. The world has color for me again. The darkness is still within me but it's less and less every day when I'm with you. You brought me peace, something that has been missing in my life, my mind and my soul. I love you Elise Tate, body and soul, and I am forever thankful for having you in my life. I'm yours if you'll have me."

Elise couldn't believe she was hearing those words from him. They wrapped around her heart and wouldn't let go. "Oh John, we belong to each other now and I'll never let you go."

"Neither will I Elise. Ever."

Once more they made love, slowly and sweetly, reveling in the joy of having that special someone to share life's troubles and triumphs. They were not alone any longer and there was no better feeling in the world.

* * *

Weeks went by and Elise and Zoe helped out with several of the cases Harold gave to Reese. One night, when they came home late from a particularly bloody shoot out, John found Elise crying in the bathroom. He lowered himself down next to her and took her in his arms.

"Sweetheart, why are you crying? What's wrong?"

"I just..John…when those bullets were flying and we were ducking for cover, I saw you…. you….you took out that one guy who was hiding behind that building and I thought…" She tried to get out between sobs. "I remembered my partner, Tim….after..after …he died, I swore I'd never, ever trust anyone to have my back like that again. But when I realized that I….that I trusted you in that way….it's so scary but it's also such a relief to have you there for me. I'm sor…sorry.. you must think I'm such a cry baby!"

Her words cracked open the darkness around his soul just a little bit more. He was honored and touched that she trusted him that much and told her so. "Elise, so long as I have breath in my body, I will never let you down. Never."

"Thank you John." She said, hugging him tightly. "I feel the same about you."

They never spoke of what happened to her partner again but with each case that they worked together, each became a more confident member of an efficient and sometimes deadly team.

* * *

Zoe also found the partnership with John and Harold rewarding. It was nice at the end of a job to be able to sit back and relax her guards with a bunch of people she was confident would always have her back. She was also able to be more discriminating in the paying cases she took thanks to Harold and his uncanny ability to get information for her. If a case did not seem on the up and up, Zoe was able to simply refuse it now. As Harold became more self-sufficient, she was able to liaise more with Elise in the field and that relationship too become stronger as a result.

* * *

Life had settled into a rhythm for Harold after his abduction and rescue. With his fingers healed and able to be actively back in the loop, Harold was once again back in his comfort zone. He had built new firewalls to guard against another intrusion from Root. His time spent with her did allow him to get a 'feel' for how her mind worked. She was a genius but that she was patently insane, he had no doubt. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, they would cross paths again. But this time he would be prepared...prepared in ways she could not fathom.

* * *

Carter had started her new job with the New York City office of the FBI. She was getting to know her new job responsibilities and meeting new co-workers. The scope of what she could 'see' and 'do' was exhilarating. It was the same type of job but on a much larger scale. She was going to miss the hands- on part of her old job but not the long hours with lousy food grabbed on the run.

The biggest surprise she had was that she almost had normal working hours. She was low man on the totem pole but she still mainly worked Monday through Friday from eight to five with very few nights so far. She was enjoying family life with Taylor, dinner, breakfast; normal everyday things she'd missed being a single parent and working for the NYPD. She wanted to raise her son, not her mother.

* * *

With Carter moving over to the FBI, Fusco assumed her position as lead detective. For once, he felt like he was finally on the right track. He enjoyed going to work every day. He could look people in the eye, and found himself looking over his shoulder less and less. HR was effectively shut down but Fusco knew there were still some HR cops on the job that he hadn't been able to finger. His biggest worry was Simmons but he appeared to be lying low after so many of his confederates were busted. Fusco also found that with greater responsibility, came some better perks. His hours were definitely better than before Carter left. He actually made it home most nights to have dinner with his son. Best of all, he'd made it to TWO hockey games. He felt like a cop again and a father, life was good.

* * *

Taking one job at a time, one day at a time had become a welcome modus operandi for Zoe. After the excitement, blind-eyed terror and bloody field work she had experienced in helping find Finch, she was glad to be back at her old job. The business she and Zoe had together was flourishing. Legitimate clients and under the table clients were clamoring for their services. Even with Elise helping John more and more, she was still just a phone call away. Zoe had been on her own for so long that her and Elise's new relationship had become a blessing in disguise. They were definitely on a more equal footing nowadays and that made the jobs easier. Zoe also found that had time to spend with Elise after hours. Sometimes for nothing more than a quick dinner or drink somewhere, sometimes for an evening out. Having some 'girl time' was refreshing.

Surprisingly, she found herself looking forward to the meetings with Harold. She and Harold had entry into worlds that Reese and Elise did not. Sometimes Harold called her for help and sometimes she called Harold for help, it was a give and take relationship that worked very well for both of them. For the first time in forever, Zoe felt she had friends that she could enjoy being with and who wanted nothing from her.

* * *

Elise and John were coming to grips with a relationship that began in reverse...sex, love, respect and now friendship. Their personalities were quite different, border line exact opposite. Reese was quiet, methodical, always thinking two to three steps ahead, looking at all the angles. Elise was much more impetuous. She had good instincts and things usually worked out fine. But there were enough times that her being head-strong and stubborn caused them to be caught in bad situations that they either had to fight their way out or shoot their way out of them. When that happened Elise had to listen to Reese all the way back to the library telling her about what she should have done, which usually consisted of waiting for HIM to do something first. Many times they'd be arguing as they entered the library on their way to report to Harold. After the first couple of jobs that ended with the 'juvenile bickering' as he called it, Harold learned to tune them out until they ran out of things to fuss about and were ready to give him a report about what they had done or seen or prevented.

However it was their sense of duty that made working together smooth, easy, and uncomplicated...until Reese tried to tell Elise how to do something that was. She demanded equal footing and responsibility but he had trouble sharing the control of a situation. He found out the hard way that Elise was quite capable of taking care of herself. He ended up at the wrong end of a punch more than a few times until he just let her do what she knew needed to be done. But when infiltrating a gang or investigating a warehouse full of drug runners, he knew he couldn't ask for a better partner. It was as if they were inside each other's head. They moved as a single unit in two pieces. Hand signals were seldom even needed, just a look or head tilt and they knew what the other was needing.

The biggest differences that needed to be worked out were in their home life. Elise had effectively moved in with John, seldom going back to her apartment except to pick up a few clothes here and there. It was almost empty except for the furniture and her lease was up in another month. Back in his loft, they enjoyed going to bed together, sleeping together, bathing together and waking up together but it was the other 50% of their time at the loft that was the problem.

John was former military, CIA and a compulsive neat freak. Everything had its place and everything was IN its place. Elise was the exact opposite. She was also former military but she fought back against the strict regime of 'neat enough for a daily inspection'. She'd leave clothes on the floor, towels over chairs, shoes in the middle of the room. Eventually she'd get around to cleaning them up but any of those acts drove John almost to distraction. He tried asking her nicely to pick up things right away, to throw things away or bring them to the kitchen. Elise always apologized and tried to do better, for about twenty-four hours and then she was back to her relaxed way of living. Each time John brought to her attention, the toothbrush hanging on the side of the sink instead of in the toothbrush holder or her hair brush on the coffee table the more vocal their 'discussions' became. They tried to work through their differences. He relaxed and decided to not pick up her clothes and leave them for her to pick up. She tried to remember to put the toothpaste up. It was going to be a long uphill battle that was certainly going to try both their patience.

Only problem was, when they'd argue, it would get heated and then they'd both pause, look at each other and realize they were hot and horny and needed to take care of some 'business' right then and there. Jumping into the bed, or dropping down on the carpet by the couch, or their favorite place: in a window seat and all problems disappeared. They were becoming finely tuned to each other's needs and desires and they both made a point that that took precedence over any laundry on the floor or toothpaste on the counter. Their physical attraction to each other was potent, knocking all other concerns to the wayside until each was satisfied, at least until the next time.

* * *

Sundays were almost always relaxing days, days to get caught up with family and personal things. They were 'off the clock', their time was their own and was not to be interfered with unless absolutely necessary. It had become an unspoken understanding among Harold, John, Elise, Zoe, Joss and Lionel to not use their cell phones if at all possible on those days to call each other.

Carter was having brunch with Taylor at the Lyric Diner. She'd seldom got to go out with her handsome son. She was so proud of him! He was doing well in school after a rocky start. He showed no permanent emotional scars from his abduction by Elias. His admiration of John Reese was still going strong. Sitting in the diner, Joss was surprised when two girls stopped by the table to talk to Taylor. After he introduced them to her, she sat there watching and smiling at the young man her son had become. His father would be so proud.

* * *

Stirring up a batch of scrambled eggs, Lionel kept a close eye on the bacon frying in the pan. His son came walking into the kitchen half awake, drawn by the smell of bacon. Looking at his son, he was continually amazed at how fast his son was growing. He was happy with his new job and new hours that meant he could spend Sunday mornings and some school mornings with his son. There was so much he'd already missed since he and his wife had divorced. He could actually plan things with his son, like going to a NY Giants game or ice skating in the park. Letting the bacon drain on a paper towel he scooped some scrambled eggs out onto a plate and grabbed the toast out of the toaster and set it in front of his son. Grabbing the plate of bacon and his own plate, he sat down and they began to eat and plan their day.

* * *

Balancing the books for the business, Zoe was sitting at her dining room table after finishing breakfast. The numbers looked good. She had learned to screen her clients well enough that she seldom got stiffed for payment. Because of their high success rate for getting the job done, she and Elise could almost name their price for any work they contracted for. Looking through the paper, Zoe was trying to decide if she wanted to go to the opening of the art show today or just take in a quiet movie. Or better yet, stay in and curl up with a good book.

* * *

Enjoying the morning sun on the roof, like they did every Sunday morning when they were not working, Elise and John were recovering from their morning 'workout'. When not working on Saturday night, they had developed a habit of having pizza and beer on the roof and watching the stars come out. Their conversations covered a huge variety of subjects, some personal, some professional and sometimes just nonsense. The sun did its usual wake-up call by shining in their faces. Snuggled under the covers with no clothes on, they were not eager to get moving. That is until skin rubbed against skin. Still discovering each other's bodies they played their own game they called 'What's that Scar From'. Reese had many more scars than Elise but she still had her fair share. They took turns pointing out different scars on each other and asking for the story behind them. It was another way to get closer to each other; they were still learning so much about each other. Elise stood up, wrapped the sheet around herself and went down to the loft to bring up coffee. Bringing it back up, she also brought the newspaper with her. She found Reese stretched out on his back naked as the day he was born. Standing over him, Elise thought she was one lucky woman to have a man this fine sleeping at her feet.

* * *

Harold walked into the library hung up his coat and put his brief case on his desk. Booting up the four different computer systems he stood there thinking about how their latest person of interest had ended up. Safe and secure and on their way to England, away from an unscrupulous business partner who was now in jail for attempted murder. Turning on the tea pot, he waited for the water to heat up so he could make his own Sencha green tea. During the week he picked up a cup at a vendor in the park but on Sundays he liked to make his own and drink it out of a china tea cup like a civilized, educated man.

After pouring the hot water over the tea leaves he covered the cup and let it steep. Checking the systems as they came on line, he could tell that a new number had come up. It would take a minute for the computer to spit out the number so he went back to fixing his tea. As he walked back to his desk the machine finally posted the new number on the main monitor. Standing there, watching the number the computer generated, Harold felt a rushing noise in his ears, his breath came in short gasps, his hands began to shake and he dropped the bone china tea cup on the floor where it shattered into hundreds of pieces. That number...he knew that number by heart...it was a number he had never ever wanted to see from the Machine. But it was there and it had a new and different display. Crunching down on the pieces of broken tea cup, Harold tapped a new command in the computer and a second bit of information showed up.

"No...no...no...no...it can't be...no!" Gasped Harold. Grabbing the edge of the desk, he tried to keep himself from falling to the floor. "John...I've got to call John." He whispered. Looking around frantically he could not find his phone. It had to be here, he never went anywhere without it. In a panic he grabbed his briefcase and dumped it out on this desk. His phone was not there! He patted the pockets in his pants...not there. "Where the hell is that damn phone!" yelled Harold, completely out of character.

Then he remembered, he limped over to his coat hanging on the coat rack and found his phone in the front pocket.

Barely able to make his fingers function he pressed the speed dial for Reese.

Reese's phone rang, bringing him instantly awake. Sitting up quickly he almost knocked Elise over as she tried to sit down with the coffee. Seeing Harold's name come up on the ID he frowned. This was not a good sign for Harold to break their unwritten rule about 'no work calls on Sunday'. Turning the phone to show the ID to Elise, she looked surprised also but nodded for him to answer it.

"Good morning Finch." John said in his best, good natured lilt.

"John...John...I...John...it came up. Her number came up. I don't know what to do. She's in danger. And the machine says it's from two sources and one is the government. John...I can't ...I can't...nothing can happen to her!" Finch babbled almost incoherently. John frowned trying to piece together what Harold was saying but gave up.

"Harold, Harold. HAROLD calm down and tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong. Take a deep breath, hold it, let it out and tell me what's wrong." John said firmly.

"Grace...Grace...Grace's number has come up"...

**A/N: Don't worry readers we won't leave you hanging for long. We've started on the next fict in the series and will get it to you all ASAP. **

**Special thanks to our kickass beta: Maddsgirl75/Reesefan75. Check out her ficts too if you liked ours…she's an awesome writer herself.**


End file.
